Not to be used loosely
by JoTerry
Summary: Rukia has decided to stay in the World of the Living with Ichigo. It's been five years since they graduated high school. They have been very comfortable with how their lives are going until Inoue breaks up with her boyfriend because of her resurfacing feelings for Ichigo. That's when the two best friends start questioning their nature of relationship. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**Not to be used loosely**

 **Chapter 1**

 **A/N: I do not own Bleach and its characters.**

"Quit moving, Midget!" Ichigo barked, slapping the ankle of the petite Shinigami.

Furiously holding down a giggle, Rukia tugged her foot away from him. "I can't help it, Strawberry. I'm ticklish!"

Ichigo grunted in frustration. They had been at it for the the past twenty minutes and he's still struggling with her third toenail.

"How do you expect me to get this right if you keep fidgeting?" he asked, through gritted teeth.

"Alright, alright," Rukia relented, grabbing a pillow with her palms flat and biting the fabric to keep from laughing as she let him take her foot again.

The two best friends were due for a high school reunion party at Keigo's in two hours. It had been five years since they graduated and their perverted ex-classmate had decided to throw a bash for old time's sake. To make it more interesting, he made it a costume party.

Ichigo had scoffed at the idea and said that hell would freeze over before he donned on a costume. But he had suggested that his death god partner went as her 150-year-old self. Of course, that earned him a kick in the shin for his reference to her age.

The Kuchiki princess, however, intended to go as a teen witch – an evil character not very far from her real self, in Ichigo's opinion. A whack upside the head brought his insults on her to an end... for the time being.

Half-way through painting her fingernails, Rukia had decided she wanted her toenails painted too. She knew she should've done the toes first but it was a 'last minute decision' and she didn't want to ruin her fingernails while they dried. And since they were short of time, she made Ichigo her pedicurist for the day. It didn't matter if he would do a good job. No one's really going to look at her toes anyway. She just wanted to have the polish on as part of the getup.

And that's how they found themselves in Ichigo's room in their shared apartment, him sitting on his study chair with Rukia's foot resting on his knee as the woman comfortably sat on his bed.

She would giggle every time he touched a toe with his thumb and index finger. Ichigo was on the verge of giving up. But getting kicked in the shin wasn't exactly his favourite pastime.

After calming herself down a little, she tried to think of something to say to divert her attention from her ticklish foot. Staring at his orange head that was focusing on applying the nail polish, the first thing that came to her mind was Inoue.

Why? Because, number one: the girl had orange hair too, and number two: the busty girl had been confiding in Rukia about her resurfacing feelings for Ichigo.

She knew Ichigo didn't like it every time she brought up the matter. Not now and not five years ago when Inoue first confessed to him. Ichigo's _reiatsu_ would flare together with his temper whenever Rukia mentioned Inoue's interest in him. She still could not figure out why, other than the fact that he was tired of being pestered about it. But Inoue was such a sweet girl. She should be given a chance.

Clearing her throat, she gathered her courage to ask even though she knew it wasn't the right time to do so, seeing as they would be in the same room as the love-struck girl in less than two hours. She was afraid that the spike of his _reiatsu_ would attract some hollows. And that was the last thing she hoped to happen because she really, really wanted to dress up and go to that party.

"So, have you spoken to Inoue recently?" she began, still staring at his orange head.

The man continued painting her fourth toe carefully. "No, why?"

"When was the last time you met her?" she asked, treading slowly.

Ichigo looked up at her with a scowl before dipping the brush into the bottle to prepare to coat her pinky toe. "I can't remember. I think I ran into her and what's-his-name a couple of weeks ago," he replied, lowering his head to focus on her toe again.

She bit her lower lip to keep from giggling. "Hadashi," she muttered.

"What?" Ichigo mumbled without looking up, obviously not too interested in what she was talking about.

"Hadashi – that's his name. They broke up, by the way." Rukia shrugged even though she knew he couldn't see the gesture.

"Ok," he said. She couldn't decide if that was to acknowledge that he heard her or to indicate that he was done with her first set of toes. After returning the brush into the bottle, he placed her foot down carefully on the bed and reached down to take her other foot to prop it on his knee.

"You want to know why?" Rukia asked, wiggling her black-nailed toes a bit against the cotton balls that were stuffed between them.

"Because Ishida finally had the balls to ask her out?" he guessed nonchalantly as he coated her big toe with the black polish.

Rukia furrowed her brows. Sure, she knew Ishida had been harbouring feelings for Inoue since high school. But he would never ruin her relationship like that. He was the 'quietly and patiently waiting' type. "Of course, not. You know he wouldn't do that while she's still seeing someone." She could tell Ichigo had a smirk on his face even though she couldn't see it.

"That's why I mentioned 'the balls'." He swirled the brush in the bottle a bit before proceeding to her second toe. He knew he wasn't supposed to do that but he didn't care. She didn't say anything about it anyway.

Rukia rolled her eyes. "Asshole," she chided, pulling a strand of his orange hair. That's when she realised her fingernails were already dry but she wasn't going to tell him that. She needed to have this talk with him. She had promised Inoue that she would do it before the party and she had less than two hours left.

Ichigo winced but went ahead with his work. He wanted to get it over with as soon as possible.

"She still likes you, Idiot," she blurted, getting ready for his rage.

He paused, the brush hovering over her toe as he glanced at her before returning to the coating. To her surprise, he just shrugged. "Too bad for her. She already knows I don't feel the same way about her."

Rukia pouted. "Ichigo, Inoue is a really nice girl. Why wouldn't you give it a try?"

He knew she was talking about a relationship. Shaking his head, he shuddered inwardly. "Not interested."

"Why not?"

"Not my type."

Rukia waited until he had placed the brush into the bottle before hitting his head with the pillow. "She's a girl who happens to be blessed with everything a guy would want in one and she's not your type? Is there something terribly wrong with you or are you just gay?"

Ichigo glared at her. "I can't even maintain a proper conversation with her. How will we even survive going out together?"

Rukia raised a brow. "If I can spend a day shopping with her, you can too."

He smirked. "I don't know what the two of you talk about when you're together but I guess that's why you always seem dumber after you come back from hanging out with her."

That's when a foot of black toes was shoved into his gut. He winced as he doubled over in his chair. It was Rukia's turn to smirk as she studied her other foot. Only one toe left undone. She reached over to get her nail polish on his study table but he managed to slap her wrist and yank her ankle back onto his knee.

"Stupid Midget," he muttered, still recovering from her attack.

"Idiot Strawberry," she countered but let him finish with the last toe. "Anyway, she loves you. It's been so many years now. Don't you think it's time..."

Ichigo pinched her skin after the last stroke of brush. "She's just infatuated with me, Rukia. It's not love."

"It's not infatuation. How can anybody be infatuated with someone for five years? She said so herself that she loved you."

Shoving her foot onto the bed, he glared at her again while maintaining control over his _reiatsu_. It was something he had managed to master after he got his powers back. "How can anyone love someone she hardly spends time with? And you can't expect me to return her feelings because I am certain I don't feel that way about her. You can't just use 'love' like a loose word."

Rukia leaned back on his head post, stretched out her legs and crossed her arms over her modest chest. "But she's your friend, don't you love her like that too?" she asked, studying her newly painted toenails and deciding that they'd do. She couldn't expect much from a first timer, much less a guy.

Ichigo shook his head. "I can't just simply _love_ someone, even though she is a friend. I love my family, yes. I like Chad because he's a good friend. And Tatsuki, too. I despise Ishida but he _is_ a friend and no way in hell am I going to say I like him," he said, getting out of his chair to look for something to wear to the party. "Maybe I _do_ like Inoue as the kind girl that she is but not anywhere near love. You don't just throw that word around like a piece of tissue paper." He pulled out a black button down shirt and a pair of jeans from his closet before turning to face his short friend.

Rukia just stared at him absentmindedly, still trying to process what he just said.

He smirked. "You're going to hang around and watch me strip?"

She threw the pillow at him again and waddled out of his room with her toes pointed upward, slamming his door shut behind her as he burst out laughing at her discomfort. She would try to persuade him to go on just one date with Inoue... _just_ to be certain about his feelings.

* * *

 **This idea had been nudging at me all night. I couldn't sleep so I just had to write it. I think the world needs IchiRuki to make a huge come back.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Not to be used loosely**

 **Chapter 2**

 **A/N: I do not own Bleach and its characters.**

Kurosaki Karin pulled up in their family car at the public parking lot of her brother's apartment. Her bubbly twin sister Yuzu exited the car and immediately skipped happily to Ichigo's door with a big basket of food in hand, leaving the heavier stuff to her tomboy sister.

Karin rolled her eyes at Yuzu's childish behaviour as she reached into the boot of the car for their old oven. The 19-year-old Kurosaki sisters were charged by their father to deliver the appliance to the apartment shared by Ichigo and Rukia. Isshin had recently gotten Yuzu a built-in oven for her birthday. Since their old oven was still in working order and Rukia had been taking up baking classes during her spare time in the World of the Living, he said it would be useful for her to practice her newly acquired skill at home. Ichigo, on the other hand, thought it was the worst idea his dad had ever come up with.

When Karin arrived at the apartment, Yuzu was fidgeting in front of the door and biting her lip with a worried look on her face. "What's wrong?" the older twin asked, breathing hard and sweating around her forehead from carrying the heavy oven. She was thankful for once that her brother had chosen to rent the ground floor apartment of this 15-floor complex.

"They are doing it again," Yuzu sighed.

Karin moved closer to place an ear on the wooden door, bringing her back to the reason why she hated that her brother got the ground floor apartment. "Just open the door. I don't think it's locked," she said, shifting the weight of the oven in her arms. She braced herself for the racket that would hit them when the door opened.

Yuzu carefully turned the knob. The noise that was muffled before amplified through the small slit towards the hallway. "We're here, _Onii-chan_! Rukia- _chan_!" she announced.

No response. Karin scowled at her sister being ignored. In fact, the noise got even louder. She entered the apartment to find her brother looking down furiously at his pint-sized best friend who was giving him an equally heated glare. A long black coat was tossed to and fro between the two as they shouted at each other.

Yuzu placed the basket on their kitchen counter after shutting the door with her foot. She decided to ignore the bickering pair to help her sister with the oven instead.

"Put it on!"

"No! It'll ruin my costume!"

"I don't care! There's no way you're walking to Keigo's place looking like that!"

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing? It's only two blocks from here anyway!"

"Put. On. The. Damn. Coat. RUKIA!"

"NO!"

"YES!"

Karin shook her head as she watched her brother lose the battle and then pick it up again, all the while trying to put the coat over Rukia's shoulders. The petite Shinigami kept shrugging it off, much to his annoyance. The black-haired twin glanced at her younger twin who was arranging the food she'd brought in the fridge before she decided it was her turn to announce their arrival. "In case you didn't notice, we just broke into your apartment," she deadpanned.

An abrupt silence. Karin thought the quiet was music to her ears, as soundless as it was.

"When did the two of you get here?" Ichigo asked as he looked from one twin to the other.

Karin shrugged. "Oh, just _yesterday_. Came to drop the oven off."

Ichigo's eyes widened at that. "Take it back! That's a fire hazard when put together with this midget!" And then, he felt pain searing up his back following a tiny but firm foot plant.

"Thank you, girls!" Rukia pulled Karin into a quick hug before running over to Yuzu to do the same. This little _fukutaichou_ of the 13th Division was the only one who could ever embrace Karin without drawing a string of curses from the older Kurosaki twin who despised any form of display of affection.

Ichigo's shoulders slumped forward as he scowled at Karin. "You are paying for any damage caused to this place whenever she touches that thing," he murmured as he jerked his thumb over his shoulder at the direction of the oven.

Karin smirked. "Tell that to the old man. We've got to go. Have fun at the party." She waved a lazy hand in her brother's face.

Yuzu came around to hug Ichigo. "It's good to see you and Rukia- _chan_ again, _Onii-chan_. I prepared some meals for you. They're in the fridge. Just heat them up before you eat as usual. And don't quarrel anymore, please," she said, tugging her brother's black shirt.

He ruffled her hair and smiled. "Thanks, Yuzu. Can't promise you that last part, though."

Rukia snorted. "Finally, we are in agreement."

Yuzu smiled and approached Rukia. "I know you don't want to, Rukia- _chan_. But you should put on that coat. I don't think _Onii-chan_ likes it when other guys go all googly eyes at you in that sexy outfit on your way to Asano- _kun_ 's place," she said innocently, placing a hand on Rukia's shoulder.

Karin burst out laughing. It was definitely something, coming from her gullible little sister.

Ichigo's eyes almost popped out of their sockets as he felt the heat escalating from his neck to his face.

Rukia was practically collecting her jaw from the floor as she stared at the little brown-haired girl in front of her who had no idea what kind of reaction her simple statement had caused.

"T-that's not the reason I wanted her to wear that coat!" Ichigo stuttered.

The still-wheezing Karin nudged her brother in the rib. "Oh, c'mon, Ichi- _nii_. Just admit it. You want Rukia _all_ to yourself," she teased, looking her friend up and down.

Ichigo slapped his sister upside the head. "That's not it, you moron! I just don't want her to attract any attention to us on our way there. Her costume looks ridiculous."

"It does not!" Rukia snapped. The costume was a short black and purple off-shoulder dress that came up to Rukia's mid-thigh. The neckline seemed to be clinging to her skin just half-an-inch above her bra so it wouldn't fall lower to reveal more than she was comfortable with. It had long sleeves that fitted from her upper her arms to her elbows and then bell-shaped as they reached her wrists. It _was_ a sexy little outfit. It would be even sexier when she took off her knee-high boots, baring the entire length of her legs when she arrived at Keigo's apartment.

"Then you should cover that bright head of yours, Ichi- _nii_." Karin reached up to mess up her brother's orange hair before giving Rukia a high-five. "Anyway, we _really_ have to go. The old man still doesn't trust me to drive at night."

"He's right not to," Ichigo mumbled as he straightened up his hair. Not that it would make any difference.

Karin harrumphed and dragged her sister out of the apartment with her. "I was just about to offer you a ride to the party. But with that attitude of yours, I'll let you deal with random guys ogling at Rukia on your own." With that, she slammed the door shut as the two residents of the apartment stared back at it.

Fifteen minutes later, the two Shinigami found themselves arguing again as they made their way to Keigo's apartment. Rukia was actually glad that she put on her coat but no way was she ever going to admit it. The night was getting a bit chilly and the evening breeze would've blown her skirt up to cause a scene that would drive Ichigo up the wall. Their topic of argument, however, was now Inoue. Rukia is getting too close to her deadline and she really didn't want to disappoint the bubbly girl she had come to love hanging out with.

"One date with her isn't going to kill you, Ichigo," she pressed on, hugging her black pointy hat to her chest over the coat. Her orange-haired friend had earlier on said he wouldn't tolerate her wearing that in public. It would definitely attract too much attention. She had to agree with him on that.

A large hand circled her elbow, pulling her to a stop to face him. "Why are you being so insistent about this?" he demanded, crossing his arms over his chest.

Rukia winced and placed a hand over the spot he grabbed earlier. "I just think that maybe you should be more open to the possibility of you and Inoue going out."

Ichigo furrowed his brows, absentmindedly removing her hand to rub her elbow in case he had hurt her. "Rukia, I do not like her that way and I do not want to lead her on into thinking that I do by going out with her on one date. Case closed. We're not talking about this again," he asserted and continued walking but not before he made sure that Rukia was following closely behind.

Rukia huffed and stomped her boots all the way to Keigo's place, which was not very far from where they had stopped. Inoue would just have to talk to Ichigo on her own. Maybe he wouldn't be too harsh with her. The strawberry head may appear crude at times but he's really a kind person on the inside.

Ichigo was just about to knock on the door when it was swung open from inside. "Ichigooooooooooo!" Keigo accosted, throwing himself at Ichigo for a brotherly hug which was dodged by the taller guy. Keigo ended up falling flat-faced on the pavement with a girly shriek. He looked up to see Rukia giggling at the scene as she put on her pointy hat to complete her costume. "Rukia- _san_!" he exclaimed and immediately got up to kiss the back of her hand. "I am so glad Ichigo brought you along, my goddess!"

Ichigo sighed in agitation and punched him in the face, causing him to fall back onto the pavement. Ignoring the brown-haired man's cries, Ichigo grabbed Rukia's hand to take her into the apartment before shutting the door and locking the host out of his own home.

"You were saying something about loving a friend?" Ichigo smirked as they both removed their shoes at the _genkan_.

Rukia gave him a cheeky grin. "Aww… but Keigo loves you," she feigned a pout.

"Shut it, Midget. You're ruining the party," he chided before turning around to see two large grey eyes greeting him.

"Kurosaki- _kun_!"

* * *

 **Went through Chapter 1 and did quite a bit of editing. 'Mistakes' is what happens when you write from your iPhone. Lol!**

 **I don't know why I came up with this. It feels like a filler chapter. But I managed to slip in that part about using the 'love' word loosely at the end. Will definitely introduce Airhead-chan and Sewing Machine-kun in the next chapter.**

 **A** ** _genkan_** **is an area of the house where we remove our shoes and keep them there. Asians don't wear our outdoor shoes inside the house. I'm not a Japanese but we all have that similar shoe area at the entrance of our house. The Japs are way cooler in that they precisely give it a name whereas the rest of us just call it 'there'. Haha!**

 **Thanks for all your reviews! Will try to have this updated soon.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Not to be used loosely**

 **Chapter 3**

 **A/N: I do not own Bleach and its characters.**

 _"Kurosaki-_ kun _!"_

 _Shit…_ Ichigo thought as his eyes widened at the sight of Inoue Orihime at the opening of the living room of Keigo's home. She had her hands clasped over her large chest as she smiled happily at him. He inwardly cursed the midget for the conversation they had on their way here which had caused him to be overly conscious about how he should react to seeing Inoue like that.

"I-Inoue, hi," he said, looking around for an escape route.

Inoue clapped and skipped a bit, causing her knee-length skirt to sway around her. She seemed to be moving closer to him. "Kurosaki- _kun_ , you came here as yourself. So did I!" she exclaimed with a nervous giggle.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. He didn't know what to make of that. This girl hadn't changed since high school. "Err… yeah," he managed to drawl.

"Anyway, can I have a word with you, Kurosaki- _kun_? It's _really_ important," Inoue said, a blush apparent on her cheeks. She didn't seem to know what to do with her hands then. One moment they were joined in front of her, the next they were swung behind her back before she finally settled on swiping a loose strain of hair behind her ear and then keeping them to her sides.

"Ah…" Ichigo began. His throat felt dry as he tried to think of all sorts of excuses to why she could not 'have a word with' him. Somehow his hand reached behind him to search for the midget. Inoue watched his gesture with a confused look on her face.

"Ichigo!" Rukia suddenly appeared beside him, ignoring his hand that was seeking for her to rescue him. "I've got to go thank Ishida for this costume. I'll leave you here with Inoue for a while," she excused herself, grinning like an idiot.

Ichigo glared at her, knowing exactly what she was trying to do. _She's leaving me here to die, that bitch!_ "Ru…"

She continued to ignore him and went to give Inoue a hug instead. "It's nice to see you again, Orihime. Toodles, Strawberry!" With a tiny wave, she winked at Ichigo and left.

Ichigo clenched his jaw and cursed her some more under his breath as he watched her disappear into the small crowd of ex-classmates and some people whom Keigo had randomly invited to the party. _She is so going to get it later_ , he thought.

"Kurosaki- _kun_ ," Inoue called, snapping him back to her presence in front of him.

"Yes, Inoue. What was it that you wanted to talk to me about?" he asked, agitation evident in his voice.

Before he knew it, Inoue had looped an arm around his elbow to drag him into a part of the living room where there were less people. In fact, there was absolutely no one anywhere within 15 feet of them.

"Kurosaki- _kun_ ," she began shyly.

Ichigo swore he would slit his wrist once for every time she addressed him like that.

"I…" she paused, obviously searching for the right words to say.

"Inoue, it's okay. You can tell me when you remember. I'm going to go and greet some of our friends…" Ichigo stepped away but he was pulled back to face her.

"Kurosaki- _kun_ , I was wondering if you would go out with me," Inoue blurted out, her hand still on his upper arm. She stared him straight in the eye, looking so hopeful.

Ichigo was taken aback by her sudden boldness. He secretly wished the ground would open and swallow him up now. Or a hollow! Maybe if he flared his _reiatsu_ … No, Rukia would kill him for that. She'd told him she wanted a hollow-free party tonight. His eyes searched the little space around them for the right words to say. Anywhere but Inoue's face. _See, Rukia? I can't even look the girl in the eye. How would I ever go out with her?_

 _"Maybe you could keep your eyes on something else, King,"_ his Hollow teased inside his head.

 _Shut up!_ he scolded.

"Kurosaki- _kun_ ," and there it was again. That was another thing he couldn't stand about her. The pitch of her voice heightening at that 'kun' part gave him the creeps.

Ichigo shook his head. "I'm sorry, Inoue."

"It's okay," she said with a smile, again with the clasping over her chest.

 _It's okay? Phew…_

"So would you go out with me?" she asked.

"Huh?" Ichigo furrowed his brows. "I thought…"

Inoue continued to look at him with those puppy eyes. They were similar to Yuzu's. But he had seen his sister's eyes all her life. They were cute. Inoue's were… freaking him out.

"Inoue," he began.

"Yes, Kurosaki- _kun_?" She tilted her head in anticipation of his answer.

 _Let me count the ways to kill you, Midget, for leaving me here like this,_ he thought, turning around to look for Rukia and hoping that their years of _nakama_ -ship would have somehow acquired them a special telepathic connection. Not that it mattered. The short stuff would probably ignore him anyway.

He turned back to face the girl with a sigh when he didn't see the death god anywhere. "I can't. I'm sorry."

Inoue's eyes glistened immediately as her brows came together in a tight knit. "Is there something wrong with me?"

 _Crap…_ "No, it isn't you," Ichigo shook his head again, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"I can change. I can try to be who you want me to be," Inoue pleaded, the back of her hand wiping the single tear that had managed to escape.

Ichigo took a hand out from his pocket and hesitated before placing it on her shoulder awkwardly. "Look, Inoue. I've told you this before. And nothing has changed since the last time I said it. I don't see you as anything more than a friend," he tried to say it as slowly as possible.

Inoue sniffled, looking around the living room over his shoulder. Her eyes stopped at one spot and she winced before looking back up to his face. "It's Kuchiki- _san_ , isn't it?"

"What?" Ichigo stammered, taken aback. He turned around to look behind him where she last focused her attention on. His breath hitched at what he saw.

At that moment, he knew he could no longer deny it; not to Inoue and definitely not to himself. He used to think it was something impossible. There was a time when the thought crossed his mind but that was years ago and he had managed to dismiss it as something that would never happen.

But seeing Rukia right now, talking animatedly in that sexy little outfit only made him realise that he'd never wanted her more. Damn Ishida for being the one who made that costume for her. Damn Ishida for being the one talking to her right now. Damn Ishida for telling Rukia that he was watching her.

 _Wait, what? Oh, hell no._ Now, she's looking back at him, confused at first as her eyes darted back and forth between him and Inoue. Then, her expression softened and she smiled. He could almost feel his knees giving out beneath him until she pulled a mischievous grin and waved at them before turning her attention back to Ishida. Damn Rukia and her bipolar disorder. Damn Rukia and her gorgeous smile that could melt even the sun. Damn Rukia for looking so cute all the _freaking_ time. Damn Rukia for doing this to him.

A soft giggle took him out from his daze. He turned around to find Inoue stifling a laugh while dabbing a tissue on her face. He was now officially confused by the female species. First, Rukia. Now, Inoue. What's with women and their multiple emotions?

"What's so funny?" he asked.

Inoue let out another laugh. A very ladylike one. She was so different from Rukia. Rukia's laughter was natural. It was rare but whenever it was released, there was a sense of freedom in it. It was infectious. He could feel so much thrill emanating from it, it made him giddy. He could practically hear bells ringing whenever he heard Rukia laugh. _Wait, bells? Where the hell did that come from? What does that even mean?_

"Kurosaki- _kun_ ," Inoue said, again snapping him to reality. "It's alright. I understand. Maybe you should let her know."

Ichigo furrowed his brows. "Let her know what?"

"That you like her, silly!" she skipped a bit and then placed a delicate hand over her mouth to hide her giggle again.

"Ah…" Ichigo felt the corner of his mouth tilt upward as he rubbed the back of his neck – a habit of his whenever he was nervous.

Inoue smiled up at him. "Thank you for listening, Kurosaki- _kun_. You should go back to her. I'll be fine," she told him sincerely. It made him feel really guilty for rejecting her but there was no way he could be dishonest with her and take her for a ride.

"Sorry, Inoue," he said, taking an awkward bow before retreating from her to go towards the crowd. He dared not look back at her. He knew it would take some time before she could be really 'fine'.

* * *

"What did Kurosaki say about the costume, Rukia- _san_?" Ishida asked, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

Rukia shrugged. "He said it looks ridiculous. He was ashamed to walk here with me."

"That can't be true," he said before leaning in to whisper into her ear. "He's staring at you right now."

Rukia turned around to glance at where Ichigo and Inoue were alone at the far corner of the room. They were both watching her. She looked at Inoue and then, back at Ichigo, wondering what on earth was going on between the two of them. She couldn't really see Inoue, though, as the freakishly tall fruit-head was blocking her view. She decided to disregard them and instead, waved at them with a cheeky grin.

"Yeah, she must be telling him now," she said absentmindedly, facing Ishida once again.

"Telling him what?" he asked, taking a sip of punch from the plastic cup he was holding.

"That she's in love with him. She's been bugging me to ask Ichigo if he would go out with her." Rukia chuckled. "I hope he agrees."

Ishida's eyes widened at that. "No, he won't."

Rukia rolled her eyes. "C'mon, Uryuu. I know you like her. But you lucked out 'cos you're always too much of a chicken to let her know. She deserves the happiness after all these years of being so crazy about Ichigo."

"Rukia- _san_ , that bastard is going to hurt her. He does not feel that way about her, you know that!" Ishida half-whispered, not wanting anyone around them to hear their conversation. He had to ignore, for the moment, that his ego was just shot down to nothing by what Rukia had said about him lucking out.

"Feelings can develop, Uryuu. Inoue is such a kind, loving person. I'm sure Ichigo will fall for her eventually," Rukia said with conviction.

Ishida shook his head. "No, he won't. He is going to reject her today and she is going to be hurt all over again."

Rukia scowled. "She's not. He will not reject her. Ichigo would never hurt her like that."

"Kurosaki will hurt her because he does not love her back. He already has someone else in mind."

Rukia laughed out loud. "He does not. Believe me. I would know. He spends most of his time with me. Unless there's someone in your medical school that he's not telling me about," she nodded thoughtfully, resting her chin on her knuckle that held her cup.

"You are so thickheaded, Rukia- _san_. But it's not my place to tell you anything," Ishida sighed. "Did you manage to talk to Ichigo about Inoue's intention?"

Rukia nodded again, still trying to recall if Ichigo ever mentioned anything or anyone.

Ishida heaved another sigh. "What did he say?"

"He said he wouldn't go out on a date with her. He didn't want to lead her on. But that's what he told me. I figured maybe he wouldn't reject her if she asked him herself," she replied, biting her lower lip and looking up at Ishida with a guilt-stricken face. By his distressed expression, she had a feeling that she had done something wrong… or hadn't done something right.

"Rukia- _san_ ," Ishida mumbled with a grunt, placing his hands on his hips anxiously. He didn't know if he should go with his own instinct or Rukia's. Would Kurosaki accept Orihime if she asked him herself? Or would he just be the honest idiot Ishida knew so well and make her cry? He brushed his hand through his black hair. His anxiety was way past pushing his glasses up his nose. "I thought you'd know him better than I do."

Rukia crossed her arms, feeling a bit concerned for Inoue now. "Look, Uryuu. Maybe he would at least give her one date. Just to give it a try," she said, trying but failing miserably – she knew – to console the Quincy.

"Nope. I couldn't," Ichigo butted in from behind her.

She stiffened at his presence, guilty again for having been overheard. Before she could turn around, Ishida had landed a fist on Ichigo's nose. She could only gasp as she looked at the two guys from one to the other.

Ishida glared at the Shinigami who had his face covered with both hands, blood streaming through his fingers. "You're an asshole, Kurosaki," he growled before walking off to look for Inoue. Ichigo continued to curse his cousin under the pain of the broken nose.

It took Rukia another two seconds after watching Ishida leave before she snapped her attention to her injured best friend. "Ichigo," she called, one hand on his cheek and another over his hands that were holding his nose. "Shit! C'mon, let's go heal you." She dragged him into the bathroom and locked the door behind her, not even caring if anyone were to see them entering the toilet together.

Pulling the toilet cover down, she made him sit on it before searching the cabinets for a hand towel. She soaked the towel with warm water when she found it, glancing at Ichigo as she squeezed the excess water out. There was a line of thick red trailing down the back of his hand into his sleeved arm. With his other hand, he was touching the bridge of his nose to feel how bad the damage was.

"Face me," she ordered.

Ichigo reluctantly looked up at her. He could still give her that stupid scowl that he always wore on his stupid face. If he wasn't in pain right now, she would be giving him a facelift herself.

Rukia sighed before gently cleaning the blood off his face. He winced and kept his eyes shut tight while she dabbed the towel across the lower half of his face. After a while, he felt a warm sensation over his nose and realised she must be performing a healing _kido_ on him. She placed her other hand on the back of his head to hold it steady.

"Did she cry?" she asked while focusing her _reiatsu_ on his injury.

"Of course," he mumbled. His eyes snapped open as he felt her hand grab the hair behind his head in a fist. "What the hell, Midget!" he grunted and glared at her.

"One date, Kurosaki. Just one nice dinner together. Was that so hard?" she snarled. The pressure on his nose increased with the hike of her _reiatsu_.

Ichigo shut his eyes again and clenched his jaw. The _kido_ was in fact really soothing; he felt like he was dozing off. _She wouldn't understand. Not yet,_ he thought. Yanking her hand away from his face, he stood up, ignoring the fact that his nose was not fully healed yet. He hastily undid the two buttons on his sleeve before rolling it up to his elbow to wash the dried blood off his arm.

Rukia stood to his left, staring at their reflection in the bathroom mirror. For once, she noticed how different Ichigo was from the time she first crashed into his life. He seemed to have grown so much over the years while she still looked the same. Even that scowl had matured. _Maybe I don't know him as well as I did anymore,_ she thought.

Ichigo turned off the tap and glared down at her. "For the last time, Rukia. You can't force me to like her. It's not that simple," he said quietly before leaving her in the bathroom.

* * *

 **There you go… Airhead rejected. Knithead pissed. Sorry it took a week. Kinda hard to find the time to write. I'm not sure why I make Rukia to be more dense compared to Ichigo. We shall see what my muse says for the next chapter.**

 **Thanks for the reviews! I tried to make this a bit longer than the first two chapters. Not by much, though. But I hope it fed your greed a bit. Lol!**

 **Ps: I cannot help the run-on sentence. I need to work on this.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Not to be used loosely**

 **Chapter 4**

 **A/N: I do not own Bleach and its characters.**

Except for the soft sound of _Third Eye Blind's 'How's it gonna be'_ streaming from Rukia's room, the apartment was fairly quiet in this warm afternoon. Rukia was in the kitchen spooning droplets of chocolate chip cookie batter onto a baking sheet.

Ichigo was at class and she always liked to do some baking when he's not around. He's always such a nervous wreck whenever she went near the oven.

The oven dinged, signaling that it was pre-heated and ready for baking. Rukia was putting the baking sheet into the oven when the doorbell rang. She looked up from the oven and wondered who it could be.

 _Did Ichigo forget his keys?_ she thought and looked at the clock. It was only 3.30. He wouldn't be home till 4.30. _And the_ baka _doesn't know how to ring the bell to save his life._

She shut the oven door as the bell rang again. "Just a minute!" she hollered before licking the chocolate batter off her fingers. _Orihime_ , it suddenly came to her mind. She cringed. They hadn't talked since the party a week ago. She had been trying to think of what to say to the poor girl when she met her. Rukia felt really bad that she had kind of given Inoue a false hope by agreeing to speak to Ichigo about it. Maybe she could've warned Inoue if she had brought the matter up much sooner to Ichigo, giving them both more time to react. But Rukia only passed the message two hours before the party.

 _"_ _I don't want to spring it on him out of the blues. So could you please ask him if he would go out with me and maybe give him a little heads up that I might talk to him during the party?" Inoue asked as the girls walked out of the World of Chappy with two shopping bags full of Chappy merchandise each. Three of the bags were for Rukia while the other one was for Yuzu. Inoue only accompanied her petite friend to the mall._

 _Rukia bit her lip. She remembered how Ichigo had given her the silent treatment for two weeks the last time she pestered him to take Inoue to the movies. But that was at least four years ago._ His feelings for Inoue must've changed, right? And she's different now. She's more mature now that she had actually started dating… right? _Rukia thought. "Okay, Orihime. I'll talk to Ichigo."_

 _Inoue instantly dropped the shopping bags and clapped her hands excitedly before she hugged Rukia… more like almost suffocated the petite girl with her voluptuous chest, actually._ Ah… not that much more mature _, Rukia thought, gasping for breath._

 _"_ _Oh, thank you, Rukia-san!" She let go of the girl whose face had almost turned into the colour of her eyes and picked up the bags to start walking again. "Do you think he will like me now?"_

 _Rukia shrugged, walking alongside her. "Maybe. You'll never know till you find out."_

 _Urgh… sometimes ignorance is bliss_ , Rukia quietly told herself as she walked across the living room to open the door. It wasn't Inoue. It was definitely not anyone she would expect to pay her a visit either. It was someone she dreaded to see after what happened last week, even more than seeing Inoue.

"Tatsuki," Rukia greeted as she pulled the door back for Ichigo's childhood friend to enter the apartment. _She's here to scream at me about letting her best friend get hurt_ , was the first thing on her mind.

"Hey," the spiky-haired girl gave her a lazy smile as she dragged her feet into Rukia's living room and dropped onto the couch.

Rukia was still stunned. She blinked once and shut the door before going to sit down next to her former classmate. "Tatsuki," she began nervously. She knew she had to do this sooner or later. It's better to get it done sooner to reduce the possible damage. "About Orihime…"

Tatsuki waved a hand at her and chuckled. "I know what happened at the party. But I'm not here to talk about that. Hime should've seen it coming. What makes her think Ichigo would change after all these years?"

The Shinigami's eyes widened, almost popping out of her face. _Is this the same protective best friend of Inoue's?_ "You're not mad?" she asked.

"Why would I be mad? I knew it would happen. I was against her telling you to ask Ichigo in the first place. But the girl had become so stubborn _and_ determined after her break-up with that Hadashi guy," Tatsuki told her, crossing her legs on the couch.

Back in kitchen, the oven dinged again. The cookies were done. "Excuse me. I've got to take the cookies out," Rukia said as she got up from the couch. She was still a little dazed after what she just heard. _Had Inoue really changed so much?_ "I've got cold _ocha_. Would you like some?" she offered.

"Sure," Tatsuki replied.

As she took the cookies out from the oven to place them on a wire rack, Rukia stole a glance at her guest and saw that she was staring into space. She wondered what was bothering the _kendoka_ if it wasn't Inoue's case. Tatsuki never confided in Rukia when she had problems. Right now, she looked quite troubled.

Rukia went back to the living room with two glasses of the iced tea. "If you're not here to chide me about Orihime, are you here to see Ichigo? He will only be back in an hour," she said, offering Tatsuki the glass.

"I'm not here to see him, Rukia."

"Oh? Then you're here to talk to me?" Rukia asked, sipping her tea.

Tatsuki also drank her tea and then placed the glass on the coffee table. The corner of her lips curled up a bit but Rukia could tell it wasn't a happy smile.

"You know I'm seeing someone, right?" Tatsuki began.

Rukia raised her brows. This was something new. "You are?"

Tatsuki chuckled again, this time it actually sounded melancholic. "He didn't even tell you about me," she mumbled.

"Who are you talking about, Tatsuki?" Rukia's eyes narrowed. She was never really close to Tatsuki so she wouldn't know who she was talking about. But is this guy supposed to tell Rukia anything? Does she even know him?

"Rukia, Renji and I have been secretly seeing each other for almost a year," Tatsuki said, turning her body to sit facing Rukia.

The shorter girl gasped and brought a hand up to cover her mouth. She was more amused than shocked. That stupid redheaded childhood friend of hers actually knew how to ask a girl out? She couldn't help the snicker that escaped her.

"Why are you laughing?" Tatsuki looked at her questioningly.

At that, Rukia keeled over on the couch, laughing her head off.

Tatsuki didn't know what to make of that reaction. Actually, she didn't know what kind of reaction she was expecting from Rukia before she came over to see her.

"I'm sorry, Tatsuki," Rukia said, still trying to stop laughing. "I'm really, really sorry." She took a deep breath before explaining herself, a huge grin still plastered on her face. "In all the years I've known Renji, he had always been too cowardly to express his feelings to any girl he liked. So asking anyone out would be the last thing I expect that guy could ever do. He's such a baby with this kind of things."

Tatsuki grimaced and tilted her head while studying the woman who was still snickering away in front of her. "I am really dating a moron, aren't I?" she asked, incredulously.

Rukia straightened up and began to pull a more serious face. "Okay, I'm sorry for laughing. And I'm sorry but I have to say yes, you are dating a moron. But what has he done to justify that, if I dare ask?"

Tatsuki sighed. "He never asked anyone out because he used to like you.."

Rukia almost choked at that. "What?"

"See? You didn't know, did you?" Tatsuki smirked. "Yup, he used to like you. A lot. But he never dared to tell you until after your almost-execution. Then, he discovered it was too late."

 _"_ _But I saw the way she looked at Ichigo at the senkaimon and that's when I knew I was too late," Renji said, fiddling with the hem of Tatsuki's sports shorts. The girl was sitting on his lap on her study chair. It was during one of those times when Renji dropped by the World of the Living. Their relationship was still very new at the time and they were trying to find out about each other's past to understand the other better._

 _"_ _Do you regret not telling her before she met Ichigo?" Tatsuki asked, her arms around his neck._

 _Renji chuckled. "I used to beat myself over it for a while. But I figured since she's happy with Ichigo, I should be happy for her too. I am, after all, her childhood friend. There's no changing that. And I know Taichou would kill me if he heard this but, I think Rukia treats me like a brother more than she does him."_

 _Tatsuki gave him a half-hearted smile. She wasn't sure how she should feel about that. Granted, Rukia was Renji's past. But what if…_

 _"_ _I'm over her, Tatsuki. Don't worry about it," he smirked, playfully flicking her forehead. "I'm with you now," he said softly in her ear before nuzzling her neck._

Rukia's stunned expression was soon replaced with a gentle smile. She decided to ignore the fact that Renji thought she had feelings for Ichigo. Because she _didn't_. "Actually, I kind of suspected that. But I never wanted him to confess to me. I was afraid it would've made everything so weird between us," she said, subconsciously nodding while reminiscing about some of the times Renji was trying to impress her. "However," she continued. "I am really glad that he found you and… wait, does my brother know about his visits here to see you?"

Tatsuki shook her head. "I don't think so. I don't think anyone knows about us. Why?"

Rukia shrugged. "I was just wondering about how Soul Society would react to a Shinigami dating a human," she replied, her eyes downcast and a tinge of pink rose on her cheeks.

Tatsuki laughed. "Yeah, I wonder too but I'd rather you and Ichigo make the headlines first. Since he's the saviour of both worlds and you are the noble Kuchiki princess, I'm sure no one would dare to object."

"What?" Rukia exclaimed, the reddish hues on her face darkening. "Ichigo and I are not together. And… hey, I thought you're here to talk to me about you and Renji!"

Despite being put in a spot, the petite girl was actually quite relieved that she and Tatsuki were able to talk comfortably with each other. They used to have this animosity between them. But then again, maybe it was her imagination. Tatsuki was never really one to socialise a lot. In a way, she now could see that Tatsuki was kind of like both Ichigo and Renji. She made a mental note to have all four of them go out together one day to bicker their hearts out. Just to hang out. Definitely _not_ a double date. There's nothing between her and Ichigo. Nope.

She watched Tatsuki as the long-legged girl picked on her own nails over her folded calves. Once again, she looked troubled. Rukia was certain that it must have been something Renji had done.

"Renji and I made a pact. That every time he goes on a long mission, we would sort of break up. There never was any certainty in our relationship, anyway. We'd see each other whenever he could come over here. We're both free to go out with other people. Only, we never did. _I_ never did, that is. And I don't think he's seen anyone else, either," Tatsuki paused to drink her tea.

Rukia looked at her curiously. "What made you decide on making that pact?"

Tatsuki smirked. "It's a Shinigami thing to expect to die in a battle, isn't it? Or something like that. He just wanted us to break all emotional ties in case he doesn't come back," she chuckled, suddenly realising how it all didn't quite make much sense anymore. "It's mostly for me, I guess."

"You're both aware that whether or not you're still together, you'd still grieve his death, right?" Rukia asked.

Tatsuki nodded and then chuckled. "Yeah, it was a silly deal. Even though we agreed on keeping our relationship a secret, I didn't expect him _not_ to tell you about it. I mean, you're practically his best friend."

"Have you told Ichigo about it?"

"No," Tatsuki replied.

"Tatsuki, Renji and I are like you and Ichigo. We may be close but that doesn't mean we tell each other everything. We haven't really hung out since I got adopted into the clan and now that I'm living here, we see each other even less," Rukia explained. "Is he on a mission now?" She was rarely informed of what went on in other divisions now that she spent most of her time in the World of the Living.

"Yeah, he's on an indefinite one in Hueco Mundo," Tatsuki replied. "Rukia, I've never done this before because it's kind of a hidden clause in the pact that I would not ask about him when he's away. But, could you help me to find out? He's been gone for a month. I'm getting a bit worried because he's never been gone so long. I know he's probably already back in Soul Society and something's holding him up from coming over. Or that he's seeing someone else. But I just want to know if he's okay."

Rukia smirked. "Are you in love with him?"

"What?" Tatsuki gaped.

"Are you in love with him?" Rukia repeated. It was so damn obvious but the answer wasn't so much for her as it was for Tatsuki herself.

The human girl contemplated for a while. Despite the pact they made about having no strings attached, she found herself thinking about Renji every time he was away and anticipating his return. She didn't even have the time to look at another guy in her dojo or the university. She never wanted to probe into those hidden feelings she had because of the nature of their relationship but it seemed to be getting more and more difficult for her to deny that she had already given her heart to Renji.

"I think I am, Rukia."

Rukia grinned and picked up her soul pager.

* * *

"So what did Tatsuki want earlier? Don't tell me she came here to have a girl talk with you," Ichigo asked, popping another piece of Rukia's chocolate chip cookies into his mouth. He was actually enjoying them. They were surprisingly good.

The two occupants of the apartment were sitting in the back patio, enjoying the cool breeze of the night after dinner. Ichigo came back from class just as Tatsuki was leaving for her evening coaching session. The two childhood friends managed to exchange a few words before she went off.

It was Rukia's turn to prepare dinner tonight. They had both decided that weekday meals would be on her while the weekend ones would be on Ichigo. It was a practical arrangement since Ichigo had to go to classes or work as an intern at the Ishida Hospital on weekdays. Rukia had improved a lot on her cooking, thanks to Yuzu who wanted to make sure two of her favourite people would never starve to death in case she couldn't send food over to them.

Instead of watching a movie like they'd always do, Ichigo and Rukia thought they'd have a relaxing chat tonight. Ichigo had been so busy lately, they hadn't really had the time to sit down and talk. He also wanted to finish the chocolate chip cookies so she would bake another batch tomorrow.

"It _was_ girl talk," Rukia replied, taking a sip from her juice box. She still made Ichigo put the straw in for her even though she already knew how.

Ichigo raised a brow. "Seriously? Is she seeing someone?" he chuckled.

"As a matter of fact, she is," Rukia replied. She knew both Tatsuki and Renji would've probably said 'was' but to her, they were definitely still together, stupid nonsensical pact be damned.

"Renji?" he guessed.

Rukia's jaw dropped. "How the hell did you know?"

Ichigo smirked. "He asked me if he could ask her out quite some time ago. I said it was none of my business," he shrugged. "Didn't think he would have the guts to do it. I also didn't think Tatsuki would've accepted. That girl's practically a guy." He laughed and grimaced at the thought of the girl he grew up with being affectionate with a guy.

Rukia backhanded his shoulder, eliciting a yelp.

"Hey! What the hell?"

"She's in love with him, Ichigo," Rukia informed without looking at him.

Ichigo almost choked on his cookie. "Is that girl even capable of loving someone?"

This time, Rukia punched him on the same spot and glared at him before looking straight up ahead. Unlike how they used to hang out on the roof of the Kurosaki Clinic, they couldn't really see the stars as they were sitting under a huge awning. But some of the houses around them were still lit and the streetlights were bright enough for them to be able to see the park behind their apartment.

"Don't be a dickhead, Ichigo. She's your childhood friend. And yes, it's true. She loves him," Rukia said, the corner of her lips tilted.

Ichigo snorted, "Does she even know the definition of love?"

Rukia quirked an eyebrow at him. "She's thinking about him and concerned about his safety. She's missing him when he's on a mission. Of course, she knows what love is. She's experiencing it herself."

Ichigo crossed his arms over his chest and pondered on what Rukia had just said before he took a glance at her. She appeared thoughtful as well, staring at the empty park in front of them. "So is that what it is? That simple? Thinking about someone. Being concerned about them. Missing them," he reiterated.

Rukia pursed her lips and stared right back at him. She couldn't tell if they were still discussing Renji and Tatsuki. She could feel things getting a little complicated between her and her orange-haired best friend. As of late, Ichigo seemed distant and distracted. Maybe he really did have a love interest somewhere in the university that he didn't know what to do about. Knowing him and his inability to express himself when it came to things like this, he was probably having problems trying to kick-start his social life.

She suddenly felt guilty about crashing into his world, turning him into a Shinigami and dumping him with the responsibility to protect the World of the Living from hollows. It would be difficult for him to start dating when he had another life he couldn't share with his girlfriend.

The _fukutaichou_ averted her violet gaze from Ichigo and heaved a sigh. She wanted him to lead a normal life despite his obligations as a substitute Soul Reaper. At the same time, being the one accountable for turning his life upside-down, Rukia wanted to continue being his _nakama_ , fighting by his side to make sure his secret life did not interfere with his human life. That was the main reason she had asked to be posted to the World of the Living.

"I'm not sure, Ichigo. But do let me know when you find out. You know you can trust me to support you, right?"

Ichigo had no idea what she was talking about but he smirked at the thought of their confidence in each other.

* * *

 **I know, a bit too much on the dialogue side in the first part. Why Renji and Tatsuki's relationship, you asked? I don't know. I just thought maybe Rukia needs to have a few case studies before she finally discovers her own.**

 **Thanks for the reviews! You, my readers, are what keep me writing.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Not to be used loosely**

 **Chapter 5**

 **A/N: I do not own Bleach and its characters.**

 _From: Midget_

 _We're running out of rice, Berry._

Ichigo raised a brow as he read the message on his phone. He decided against replying since he was already outside their apartment. Pocketing the phone, he opened the door with his key only for his eardrums to be immediately besieged by the sound of heavy bass thumping from Rukia's room behind her closed door.

He shook his head with a smirk. That midget friend of his had grown to like metal music over the years she'd been in the World of the Living. He went to the kitchen to get a drink of water after taking off his shoes and dumping his backpack on the floor next to the couch.

 _I wish I cared less, but I'm afraid I don't_

 _You couldn't care less, so I guess you won't_

 _Change your mind again_

" _Royal Blood_ ," Ichigo mumbled, opening Rukia's bedroom door to find her lying curled up on her side facing away from him. She didn't seem to notice him entering the room. He made his way to her iPod deck to tune down the volume. She didn't even flinch.

Ichigo sat at the edge of her bed and peered over her body to have a look at her. He had suspected that she was still asleep and he was right. Rukia's hand was on a thick book she had been reading before she dozed off, the tip of her fingers right below the fourth line of Shakespeares' Sonnet 46.

 _Mine eye and heart are at a mortal war_

 _How to divide the conquest of thy sight_

 _Mine eye, my heart thy picture's sight would bar_

 _My heart, mine eye the freedom of that right_

 _My heart doth plead that thou in him dost lie_

Ichigo felt his lips curved into a soft smile. After eight years of staying with him, the girl was finally taking up something intelligent to read – his favourite, no less. It's a far cry from the _shoujo_ manga she used to subscribe to.

His eyes went from the text on the book to the soft features of Rukia's face. She still looked exactly the same as when she pierced his heart for the second time to return his Shinigami powers to him. Her hair cropped just under her jaw with that stupid fringe of her hair still hanging down between her eyes. He always thought that was the thing that brought out her enticing violet orbs.

He was about to reach out to brush her hair from her face when those two large round eyes stared right back at him. Before he knew it, Rukia had thrown a punch up his chin, sending his head so far back he could literally see stars. Yeah, those cheap glow-in-the-dark ones that she made him stick on the ceiling above her bed.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR, MIDGET?"

Rukia sat up on her bed and snickered. "You should know better than to watch me while I'm sleeping. That was creepy, _baka_."

"You didn't have to freaking hit me. That hurts," he growled, rubbing his chin.

Patting his cheek none too gently, Rukia pouted. "Aww, poor Itsygo has such a low threshold for pain."

He cringed at that schoolgirl voice she used that he hated so much and caught her wrist with his free hand. "Stop that!" he snarled, letting go of her and getting up to exit her room. "Get dressed, we're going grocery shopping," he said, before shutting the door behind him.

Rukia chuckled as she made her way to her closet, picking her phone up from her dresser to check. It was already 10.30 on a Saturday morning. Ichigo must've just gotten back from his midnight shift at the hospital. He didn't even reply the text she sent him the night before. She realised that she was still in Ichigo's boxer shorts and the camisole she had worn to sleep last night. She smirked at those boxers that were forever on loan...

 _Ichigo crouched down before the front-loader as he stuffed his lighter load into the machine while waiting for Rukia to bring hers over. It was his turn to do their weekly laundry. He always liked to do it early in the morning but getting Rukia to wake up to gather hers was always a major task as the girl had never been a morning person. He needed her to put all her delicates into the washing net as there was no way in hell he would ever touch them._

 _Moments later, he heard the sound of bedroom slippers slapping on the wooden floor as they made their way towards him. He looked up to see a groggy Rukia – bed-hair, half-lidded eyes and all – approaching with a round laundry basket of a week's worth of her clothing._

 _Ichigo chuckled when she dropped the basket in front of him and grumbled something about_ a heartless jerk of a roommate _. He was reaching into her laundry when he spotted a few familiar items in there. "Rukia…" he called out before she left the laundry area._

 _She grudgingly turned around to face him, her head leaning lazily on the frame of the door. "Yes, Ichigo?" she croaked._

 _"Why the hell are my boxers in your pile?" he asked, taking them up to show them to her. His eyes widened as he noticed what she was wearing. He straightened himself up and made two large strides towards the sleepy head to snap the elastic band of his boxer shorts that were on her. "Bitch! I've been looking all over the place for these. You've been swiping them off me the whole damn time!" he accused, shaking her with one hand by her slim hip._

 _Rukia, who was trying to keep her eyes open, swatted at his hand and muttered, "I haven't been_ swiping _them. I've been_ wearing _them. Huge difference. Good night, Ichigo." She waved a hand in front of his face as she turned back to walk towards her bedroom._

 _Ichigo pulled her hand to stop her. "Oi! Why have you been wearing my boxers?"_

 _"They're comfortable for sleeping, Ichigo. You should try them sometimes," she replied, tugging her hand away. She really needed the sleep, as she had been up all night trying to finish the last chapter of that manga she had been reading._

 _Ichigo gritted his teeth. "I would've if you never… Oh, nevermind!" He threw his hands up before returning to his laundry._

Since that day, which was a month after they first moved into this apartment together, Rukia had been _swiping_ Ichigo's boxer shorts for sleeping, with the promise that she would get him some more since they were _sharing_ them. But she never did. So he had to buy some more for himself. And she never stopped swiping from him.

* * *

" _Of thy fair health, recounting it to me. This told, I joy, but then no longer glad, I send them back again and straight grow sad_ ," Rukia recited as she walked next to Ichigo who was pushing the cart with a bag of rice in it.

He nodded with a hidden smile of pride. "Not bad. Not bad. But do you know what they even mean?" he asked, dropping a packet of _nori_ into the cart.

Rukia pulled her eyebrows in a loose knit and shook her head. "Not really. I just read and somehow remember them word by word. They are quite deep and… I don't know, intimate?"

Ichigo chuckled. "Yeah, some. I'll sit through one or two of them with you when I have the time," he said, glancing at the short girl beside him.

She turned to smile at him before spotting a familiar head of orange hair a distant away behind him in the supermarket. She raised her brows and subconsciously bit her lower lip.

"Rukia?" Ichigo poked a finger at her forehead twice.

She slapped his hand away, her violet eyes never leaving the sight of the person. They then widened when another person came into view and she stepped into hiding in front of Ichigo's body. He was about to turn around to see what she just saw when she grabbed his face with one hand by his jaw to make him face her again.

"What were you looking at?" It was his turn to slap her hand away.

"Inoue," she replied. "And Ishida." She looked up at him as a grin slowly formed on his face. She frowned. "What are you smiling about?"

"They are together, aren't they?" he guessed.

Rukia shrugged. "I don't know. But do you think it's safe to run into them now? It's only been a little over a week since you dropped her like a hot cake."

"I did _not_ drop her like a hot cake, Rukia!" Ichigo snapped. "As a matter of fact, I laid it down really gently on her."

Rukia placed a hand over his mouth to shush him. "You're too loud! They're getting closer," she half-whispered.

"I got smashed in the face by four-eyes, so we're pretty even, all right?" He bent his body forward to whisper harshly back into her ear.

Rukia chuckled at the thought. "Oh, that was priceless," she said, tapping the tip of his nose.

Ichigo slapped her up the back of her head, which earned him a pouting Rukia who punched him in the shoulder. He winced but absentmindedly reached back to smoothen the mess he had caused on her hair.

"Kurosaki- _kun_! Rukia- _san_!"

The two best friends gulped before turning their attention to see Inoue with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Ishida was approaching them with a half-cart full of ingredients to make a C4 for the stomach. It looked like they had robbed off at least 80% of the supermarket's red bean paste.

* * *

Rukia sat at the edge of the sink of the washroom with her legs crossed at the ankles. She watched Inoue straighten the hairpin that Sora had given to her many years ago. The orangette stared at her own reflection in the mirror before finally bringing herself to tell Rukia what happened between her and Ishida at the party.

Back at the food court, Ishida and Ichigo ate their lunch in silence. Ishida did not feel the need to speak to Ichigo after socking him in the face over a week ago. In his opinion, he had made it clear to the acclaimed _hero of both worlds_ what a total douche bag he was to treat Inoue like that. _His_ Orihime. His mind wondered back to what happened after he left a bleeding Ichigo to the care of Rukia.

 _"Inoue-_ san _…" the Quincy called her. She turned her tear-streaked face to him. Ishida immediately took her into his arms and let her cry her heart out. They were standing on the balcony of Keigo's room on the first floor. Her hands fisted on his white Quincy robe as she sobbed into his chest, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably. Ishida silently stroke the back of her head as his other arm held her close to him around her waist. He knew exactly how she felt._ Unrequited love _, he thought bitterly._

 _But a selfish part of him was relieved that Ichigo did not agree to go out with her. That selfish part of him was certain that he could give her so much more than the Substitute Shinigami ever would. That selfish part of him wanted her to see that she would have a better life with him._

 _"Inoue," he whispered into her hair. "I will not let anyone hurt you ever again." He planted an affectionate kiss on her forehead and continued to hold her until she finally stopped crying._

 _"Thank you, Ishida-_ kun _," she looked up at him with an appreciative smile, her eyes still glistening with tears. Thus, began her healing journey with him by her side._

Ichigo, on the other hand, was curious about what was going on. It wasn't any of his business, of course. It didn't even matter if he had forgiven Ishida for breaking his nose. Heck, they had always been throwing punches at each other, anyway. That was definitely not the last.

However, more than he was willing to admit it, Ichigo felt horrible about what happened between him and Inoue. He was pretty certain their episode was over a long time ago and it totally caught him off-guard that she would seriously still want a relationship with him. On top of that, he was quite surprised – and a bit awed – that Inoue could be so direct with him now. That was definitely a change in her usual jittery self.

Throughout the week as he reflected on this, he had hoped that when Ishida ran off to look for Inoue, she would accept his attempt to comfort her and let the guy – who had been in love with her for so long – make her whole in the way that Ichigo could never do. He had wanted to speak to Rukia about it, knowing how guilty she must've felt about this whole thing but he knew he wouldn't be able to talk about it without eventually bringing light to another area that he had yet to understand himself. At the moment, however, he would let his curiosity get the better of him. Of course, he also didn't want to pass up a chance to see how whipped Ishida was.

Ichigo stuffed the last of his _katsudon_ in his mouth with the chopsticks while stealing a few glances at his cousin sitting across the table from him. There was no expression on the guy's face as he held the bowl of _miso_ soup in front of his bespectacled face while picking up the tofu dice with the tapered bamboo sticks.

When he noticed that Ichigo was smirking at him, he lowered the bowl from his face to glare at him. "Out with it, Kurosaki!"

"You finally asked her out?" Ichigo asked, teasingly.

Ishida scowled at him. "What is it to you?"

"Oh, c'mon. You're out shopping weird shit together, you're probably going to cook dinner together tonight for a candlelit date. How domestic," Ichigo continued to push the Quincy's button.

"So? Don't you and Kuchiki do it all the time?" Ishida questioned with a raised brow.

Ichigo opened his mouth to reply but before he could, the two girls had returned from the washroom and slipped into the booth. He stared at Rukia's side profile as if that could help him work out something to get back at Ishida.

"How's your _ramen_ , Orihime?" she asked.

The bubbly girl smiled brightly and nodded. "It was quite nice, Rukia- _san_. But a bit of red bean paste would've spiced it up a little."

Rukia smiled sheepishly and quickly turned away before she gagged at the thought. She spied two slices of untouched watermelon on Ichigo's _bento_ and grabbed one of them with her chopsticks, snapping him out from his thoughts… and stare.

The orange-haired mindlessly took the other slice and chewed on it before he realised Ishida was studying him with a knowing smirk. Ichigo glared back at his archenemy. He knew what was on his mind and he's seriously restraining himself from going _bankai_ on his nerdy ass right now. He was pissed that what was supposed to a 'catch Ishida sputtering' moment had actually backfired on him.

The four of them finished up their lunch before each couple bid farewell to the other rather awkwardly. It was obvious that Inoue was still hurt after what had happened at the party, although she tried really hard to mask it. Ishida was still livid but it seemed that everyone was willing to let it go gradually for the sake of their friendships. Both Inoue and Ishida knew the reason why Ichigo wouldn't go out with Inoue but it wasn't their place to meddle with his affairs.

Rukia was still feeling guilty about allowing it to happen to Inoue even though she was quite relieved after she was told that Ishida's presence was helping her get over it. At the same time, she was worried about her best friend's social life. But she knew she could only help Ichigo if he opened up to her. So far, he had been very secretive about it and without anything to fall back on, she really couldn't bring up the issue when he kept it from her like it was nothing. She didn't think it would be a good idea to let him know that Ishida had suggested to her that Ichigo was interested in someone else other than Inoue.

* * *

A hell butterfly fluttered through the apartment window to where Rukia was standing over the stove, cooking Ichigo's favourite curry. She sighed as she lifted a finger for the black creature to land on. She knew it had to be a message from her brother and not Ukitake- _taichou_ as her captain would always contact her through the soul pager. Byakuya, on the other hand, still believed in relaying messages the traditional way.

"Rukia," came her brother's voice.

" _Nii-sama_ ," she greeted, turning around to check if Ichigo was awake. His bedroom door was closed. After coming back from their lunch with Ishida and Inoue, Ichigo had taken his usual afternoon nap following a midnight shift.

"You are to come back to the manor in two days. The elders have arranged for you to have dinner with a suitor. It is not a request. I trust you will not disappoint the clan," the thick, monotonous voice said.

Rukia pursed her lips and fought back the tears that were threatening to come out. "Hai, _Nii-sama_." She lowered her head as the butterfly disappeared. She went back to the stove to stir the curry in the pot.

 _Come back to the manor, he says_ , Rukia recalled. Instead of 'come back home', he had told her to come back to the manor. The cold place had never been her home and her brother had never referred to it that way either. It killed her every time she thought of going back to the Kuchiki Manor only to feel even more lonely and inadequate than when she was living on the streets of Rukongai.

Home, to her, was now the World of the Living. Home was Karakura Town where her friends and the Kurosaki family were. Home was this apartment that she shared with Ichigo. _Home is right here with Ichigo,_ she thought. Her vision was blurred as tears filled her eyes but she blinked them away. She was still a Kuchiki. Because of that, she needed to get a hold of her emotions. As a Kuchiki, she had an obligation to fulfill.

* * *

 **I did it. I thought I would not be able to post one up for another week or two but I actually managed to get this one out. I was writing the first half of this chapter when I had to stop to go out for drinks to celebrate the birthday of a friend of mine. On my way to the bar, the story idea was threatening to burst out of my head and I did not have a notepad with me at that time. My phone was running on a low battery so I couldn't write on it. I was in agony, I tell you. Haha…**

 **Hope you liked this one. Thanks for the reviews!**

 **Oh, and yes, I'm a fan of Royal Blood. The name of the song in this fic is** ** _Careless_** **. The Sonnets I quoted were 45 and 46.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Not to be used loosely**

 **Chapter 6**

 **A/N: I do not own Bleach and its characters.**

Isshin would've been very proud to see his three Kurosaki girls chatting excitedly among themselves as they made their way out of the cinema. However, he was on a 'business trip' as he had told Yuzu that Sunday morning, and he wouldn't be back for a few days. No, it wasn't a mistake to include Rukia as one of the Kurosaki girls. She was, after all, his _third daughter_.

That was also the reason why they were out together for an afternoon show. Rukia had promised to take them to dinner while Isshin was away. She also decided to treat them to a movie since she knew she would have to be at the Soul Society for an indefinite period of time.

Speaking of which, she hadn't told Ichigo about it yet. After dinner last night, he had to finish all of his assignments before his double-shift at the hospital. So the two roommates had not had the opportunity to talk. Rukia spent the whole morning preparing Ichigo's meals for the week. He was still not home when Karin fetched her from the apartment. She found herself wondering if _time_ really was the excuse or if she was actually putting off telling him about it. All she needed to do was drop him a text, anyway.

"How long are you going to be in Soul Society, Rukia- _nee_?" Karin asked. She always addressed the Shinigami more affectionately when they were alone. Yuzu's presence didn't quite count, in this case.

Rukia shrugged. The thought of going back to Soul Society dimmed her mood instantly. It wasn't that she didn't like returning to her world every once in a while. She was just dreading the purpose of her trip back this time around. "I should return by Friday, I suppose?" she replied absentmindedly. Her brother had only told her to go back on Monday. He didn't mention when she would be having dinner with her _suitor_. She gagged at the word.

Yuzu looped her arm around Rukia's elbow. "Don't worry, Rukia- _nee_. We will take care of _Onii-chan_ for you," she assured with a giggle. Karin chuckled on the other side of Rukia who playfully pinched the youngest Kurosaki.

"Yuzu!" she feigned a bark.

"Is that your phone, Rukia- _nee_?" Karin asked as she felt Rukia's sling bag vibrating against her own hip.

The 4'9" woman searched her bag for her phone and realised that she hadn't turned it off silent mode since they were in the cinema earlier. "It's your brother," she mumbled before answering it.

 _"Midget..."_ Ichigo called. His sisters leaned close to Rukia to listen in on the conversation.

"What?" Rukia snapped at his nickname for her.

There was a short chuckle at the other end of the line before he spoke up again. _"Where are you?"_

"I'm out with the girls. We just watched _Kingsman_ ," she replied.

 _"What? Couldn't you have waited for me to watch it with you?"_

Rukia rolled her eyes as the girls giggled beside her. She didn't want to admit it but she really wanted to watch it with Ichigo. She knew they would have so much fun, debating on their favourite scenes and dialogues like they always did with other movies.

"Anyway, I'm taking them to dinner since your Dad is not around for your weekly family dinner."

 _"_ Our _weekly family dinner, Rukia. You're part of it, too,"_ Ichigo corrected, which caused the tight lump in her throat.

"Right," she said quietly. "Are you able to join us?"

She heard him sigh. _"I can't. I was calling to tell you to go and have dinner with Dad and the girls, actually. Didn't know he was away. Ishida and I have to work on our group project. It's due tomorrow."_

She felt her heart sink to the pit of her stomach. She might not even be able to see him before she went back to Soul Society. "Ah, have fun bromancing, Berry," she teased, trying to hide the disappointment in her voice.

Of course, it didn't go unnoticed. He was, after all, her best friend who knew her better than anyone else. He decided to ignore her teasing and ask her if everything was all right.

Rukia forced a snicker. By then, the twins had left her to give her some privacy with their brother. "Everything's all right, Ichigo. Have fun with your project. I'll see you soon."

"Okay," Ichigo hesitated. "I'll see you at home, Midget."

Rukia ended the call before joining the girls who were standing in front of the poster of a European football club, discussing whom their favourite players were. While Karin admired the players for their skills, Yuzu only liked them because they were hot. The petite death god smiled at the little argument the girls were having about who the better player was.

She started to think about the man she was going to have dinner with soon. It wasn't the first time she went on an arranged _date_ with a suitor. All these while, she had managed to escape from a marriage proposal. Byakuya had been really supportive of her choice so far, although he still had to make sure she went on the meetings just to satisfy the elders of the clan. But, somehow she knew she wouldn't be able to run away from this forever. Someday, her _Nii-sama_ would be forced to put his foot down and decide for her.

* * *

 _From: Midget_

 _Going to Soul Society for a few days. Details on the fridge note._

Ishida watched Ichigo's eyebrows crinkle as the Shinigami read the text on his phone. The two heroes had just submitted their completed project and were having a quick lunch at the cafeteria. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Ichigo seemed to be in deep thoughts before he replied, "It's Rukia. She's going back to Soul Society for a few days."

"Monthly report?" Ishida guessed.

"I don't think so. Hollow activities have been low lately. She'd usually just send her report through Urahara unless there was a huge threat," Ichigo replied, typing a quick 'Okay, take care.' He didn't want to bug Rukia until he had read the fridge note but he wouldn't be home until 4.30 today. He was getting a bit anxious. They did not have the chance to talk since the phone call because he went back really late from Ishida's place last night and left home early this morning before the midget was even awake.

Based on experience, Rukia would not go back to Soul Society for more than a couple of hours unless she had to attend a meeting arranged by the Kuchiki elders. They'd been pestering her to marry some stuck-up nobles from other clans in order to forge 'business ties' with them.

"What is it, then?" Ishida asked before putting a salmon _sashimi_ in his mouth.

Ichigo pocketed his phone and took a sip of his soda. "I think she has a meeting with a suitor."

The Quincy paused mid-chew and glanced at his comrade who was wearing a troubled look on his face. "Have you spoken to her about how you feel?" he asked.

"Huh?"

Ishida smirked. "C'mon, Kurosaki. It's pretty damn obvious. Are you ever going to tell her? Or are you just waiting to crash Soul Society to stop her marriage to some rich snob?"

Ichigo could only manage a scowl. If it was that damn obvious like Ishida said, did Rukia sense it as well? If she did, how did she feel about it? How did she feel about him? He had been so busy with work and assignments lately that he didn't have the time to think about the matter and what he should do about it. He realised he had taken his relationship with Rukia for granted.

Rukia had never given in to the request of the elders to marry her off. He knew she hated it whenever they made her sit through a dinner with a random guy from a noble family. _But what if this time, she meets someone she could actually learn to like?_ The thought of Rukia being married off made him cringe inside. They would probably force her to leave the Gotei 13 as a Shinigami to focus on her family. She would be deprived of doing what she loved the most – protecting her loved ones. And he would be deprived of ever seeing her again.

"What's with the dumb look?" Ishida snapped his fingers in Ichigo's face.

The Substitute Shinigami blinked and then glared at him in annoyance. "You're one to talk about dumb look," Ichigo retorted as he got up to leave. "I'm skipping the afternoon class. Need to settle some stuff."

Ishida smirked knowingly.

* * *

"Ah, Rukia- _chan_!"

The lieutenant looked up to see whom it was that she had almost walked right into. "Isshin- _san_!" she exclaimed, surprised. She hadn't expected to see him here at Soul Society. Yuzu said he was on a business trip.

Isshin pouted. "How many times do I have to remind you? It's _Otou-san_!"

" _Otou_ …"

"What is the meaning of this?" Behind Rukia, Byakuya interrupted in his usual cold manner.

Isshin turned his attention to the Kuchiki head, totally unfazed by the tone of his voice. "Byakuya- _taichou_ , I was just surprised to see my third daughter here in the Seireitei when I thought she was back at home with my idiot son," he said, nonchalantly.

Rukia lowered her head, wincing at everything Isshin had said that could sentence both him and her to death by flower-slaughter. He had just committed a crime against her brother by so many degrees.

"First of all, Shiba- _san_ , do not address me so casually. Secondly, Rukia is not – and will never be – your third daughter. Thirdly, my sister belongs to the Seireitei more than anywhere else in all three worlds. Which brings me to my final point – her _home_ is here, not with that cretin you call your idiot son," Byakuya clarified icily.

Isshin threw his head back and laughed. "For someone with a stick up his ass, you sure have a lot to say, _Byakuya_. Well, don't let me get in your way. I have urgent matters to discuss with my future in-law," he said, wiggling his eyebrows at Rukia.

" _Otou_ … Isshin- _san_ ," the girl gasped. She feared for the former captain's life. No matter how annoying he could get, she had come to see him as the father she never had. From the corner of her eyes, she could see that her brother's knuckles were white as he tightened his grip on the hilt of Senbonzakura, his eyes glazed with rage.

Isshin let out another laugh and ruffled her hair. "Don't worry, my _third daughter_ ," he emphasised while stealing a deliberate glance at the captain of the 6th Division. "I'm here to see Toshirou- _kun_ about my Karin- _chan_. I'll see you back at _home_." With that, he left the two Kuchikis with a hard glare at the older one.

" _Nii-sama_ …" Rukia called when her brother continued to stare angrily after the former captain.

Byakuya faced Rukia with narrowed eyes, which sent chills down her spine. "You will not be distracted by that boy, his family, or his world. Head straight to the manor this instant. The maid will prepare you for your meeting with your suitor. He is from one of the four noble houses in Soul Society. You will not find a flaw in this fine young man."

"Hai, _Nii-sama_ ," Rukia obeyed, bowing lowly. She only straightened up when she felt that her brother had _shunpo_ away from her. With a heavy heart, she took her time to walk towards the Kuchiki Manor.

* * *

Ichigo parked his blood red Mazda 2 in the basement of their apartment building. He was hoping to catch Rukia before she left for Urahara's. There were just too many things going on in his head right now. He hated that he hadn't spent much time with her in the past few weeks because he had been so busy alternating between the hospital and his truckload of assignments. The only time they actually sat down and talk was during dinner and it was always brief as he had to get back to his pile of schoolwork before heading to the hospital. That bastard Ishida Ryuuken had been assigning him to midnight shifts for the past three weeks. So whenever he got home, he had to take long naps in the afternoon just so he would have the energy to work his ass off again at night.

The last time he and Rukia had sat down together was for dinner on Saturday night. Even then, it was a rush because he got a call from the hospital telling him that he was needed a couple of hours before his shift began at 11.00. He cursed the hospital and his mother's cousin. He was pretty sure the older Ishida was only doing that to him because he was the son of the man who had taken off with his fiancée. Bitterness can only lead to misery.

Which brought him back to his problem at the moment and to the reason why he had rushed back home to look for Rukia. He knew he had to tell her. She deserved to know. After all that they'd been through together and after all the difficult times that she herself had been through ever since she was abandoned as an infant in one of the worst districts in the Rukongai, she deserved to know that someone genuinely cared for her and wanted the best for her. He would never be able to live with himself if Rukia were to be married to some noble jerk without knowing that her best friend from a different world was in love with her.

Ichigo paused outside the apartment before he turned the key and rested his forehead on the wooden door. "I am in love with Kuchiki Rukia," he declared in a low whisper. The words felt so right coming from his mouth. Even that word – that he knew not to use with disregard – matched perfectly with the person he felt it for. An image of her crossed his mind – that same beautiful face that gazed at him with so much affection when she restored his powers after he was deceived by Kugo Ginjo.

"Rukia?" he called out as he entered his home. His shoulders slumped at finding it empty. Rukia must have sent the text right before she entered the _senkaimon_. He looked around the apartment to see that everything was clean and tidy. There was a jar of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies on the kitchen counter and a note on the door of the fridge as promised.

Ichigo took the note and made his way to Rukia's bedroom, half-hoping that she would be there and was just about to leave for the _shoten_. Of course, the room was vacant as well. If Rukia were still around, the apartment would not have been that quiet.

Her bed was nicely made up, with her camisole and his boxer shorts neatly folded at the end of it. She must've worn them to sleep the night before as her vanilla scent he knew so well wafted from the camisole when he lifted it up from her mattress. The way she had kept her clothes there was like she was telling him she would be coming home soon and he took that as an assurance but he still felt the need to go after her at Soul Society. Again. Who knows what could happen?

He sat at the edge of her bed and placed her top on his lap as he read the note she'd left him.

 _Dear Strawberry,_

 _Dinners are in the freezer. I don't have to tell you to defrost them before you eat._

 _Learn to fix your own breakfast. Made you some anpan for the next two days, though._

 _Not Orihime's recipe, I promise._

 _If you run out or if I'm not back by Friday, Yuzu has promised to send food over._

 _But you should go back to Dad's and spend some time there._

 _Try not to break anything while I'm away._

 _Rukia_

Ichigo smiled as he folded the Chappy-enhanced paper and slipped it into his wallet. He decided to take a shower before leaving for Urahara's Shoten. He wasn't sure how long he was going to be at the Seireitei but there's no way he was leaving a stinky body behind, even if it was for Kon.

The first thing he noticed when he entered his closet after his shower was that all of his laundry was folded and put away in his drawers. Even his work clothes were ironed and sprucely hung up according to the colours as how he would always arrange them himself.

He stared at his closet, gnawing his lower lip as he was overwhelmed by the emotion that he couldn't quite put a name to. Rukia had done so much for him in all of these eight years. She gave him the power to protect his family and his friends. She gave him a purpose in life. She stopped the rain, carefully and respectfully filling the void in his heart that his mother's death had left behind. She even gave up her life and her home to assist him in the World of the Living just so he could live his own as close to normal as a part-time Shinigami could. She was a princess from a noble clan who had maids to fuss over her all day and night, and yet she was taking care of his daily needs.

For a brief moment, he was having second thoughts about stopping her from having a good life by marrying into nobility. And then, he thought of how she never wanted that life. He recalled how the exuberance she always radiated just ebbed away at the sound of her brother's voice or when someone mentioned the Kuchiki clan that reminded her of where she belonged.

"You have the right to be happy, Midget. And I'm going to make sure you get it," Ichigo murmured as he prepared to repeat what he did when he was fifteen. This time, he wouldn't even need his Hollow to fight Byakuya.

* * *

 **I only went through this chapter once over so there are sure to be some errors here and there. I apologise for them. I'm currently running out of time, as there is somewhere else I'm supposed to be. But here I am, posting this installment of** ** _Loosely_** **– the ideas just kept flowing and I had to get it out before I go insane.**

 **Managed to slip in another pairing, one of my favourites.**

 **I love the Kurosaki family and no matter what an idiot Isshin is, I always think it would be cool and heaps of fun to have him as a father. I grew up without one so I just know that my life would be so much more happening if I had someone like Kurosaki/Shiba Isshin as my dad.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Not to be used loosely**

 **Chapter 7**

 **A/N: I do not own Bleach and it's characters.**

 **This is a birthday special for our orange-haired hero. I just realised it was 15 July and I knew I just had to write one for him. I'm writing this on my cracked iPhone. Damn hard to format. Anyway, happy birthday, Strawberry!**

 _A little over five years ago..._

 _Ichigo stepped into his house in time to get kicked in the gut with a, "Happy Birthday, son!" He looked up to see the smug grin of his father who had his arms crossed over his chest. "You need to work on your reflex, boy. What a disgrace to lose to your old man."_

 _The boy got up to give his father an uppercut, sending him flying all the way to his mother's poster. "That's because you caught me off guard, Goat Face! What kind of a father attacks his son on his birthday?"_

 _Ichigo went straight up to his room, ignoring the cries of his father as he complained to Masaki about how he was badly treated by his own son._

 _"Damn old man..." Ichigo grumbled as he let himself drop face down onto his bed without noticing the lump under the covers._

 _He was immediately thrown off to the floor by a very surprised but sleepy Rukia who cursed him to Hueco Mundo and back._

 _"WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU DOING HERE, MIDGET?" he shouted, rubbing his backside as he glared up at her from the floor._

 _"I was sleeping,_ Baka _!" Rukia sat up and offered him a hand to pull him up._

 _"Move over," he grunted, slapping her hand away and shoving her towards the wall so he could lie down on the bed._

 _He was up all night running errands for Unagiya-_ san _and had only managed to have a two-hour sleep before getting up to go to school that morning. All he wanted to do now was shut his eyes for the next century._

 _But he knew he wouldn't be able to. Not with that annoying midget staring at him, on his bed... in a black Metallica baby-T and a pair of jeans shorts. "Again, what are you doing here?" he muttered, an arm over his eyes. He didn't need the distraction._

 _"Posting," she replied and lay down next to him, mimicking his action._

 _It took him a while but when he realised what she had said, he couldn't help the smirk on his face. He knew she had been applying to be posted to the World of the Living ever since the Fullbring incident a year ago._

 _She had gotten the green light from Ukitake-_ taichou _and Yamamoto-_ soutaichou _. But her brother and the entire Kuchiki clan were against it. So for the past six months, she had been sneaking into the World of the Living to hang out with Ichigo and their friends every chance she got._

 _He got up on his elbow to face her. "Is this for real?" he asked._

 _Her lips curved into a smile but she remained quiet._

 _Ichigo removed her arm and flicked her forehead. "Dammit, Midget! Answer me."_

 _Rukia slowly opened her eyes as her grin grew wider. "For as long as you need my assistance," she replied._

 _He returned her smile. It was something that only she had the privilege to see while everyone else got his usual scowls. "I guess it'll be kind of hard to get rid of you, then."_

 _Rukia mindlessly punched him in the gut. "You should thank_ Nii-sama _for this."_

 _He rubbed his sore spot just as mindlessly. "Why would I do something stupid like that?"_

 _"He got the clan to give me the permission to move here," she explained and rested on her elbow to face him too. "He even consented to Yamamoto-_ soutaichou _getting us an apartment near the University you're going to."_

 _If Ichigo had been drinking, Rukia would've been soaked wet with his spit. "Are you telling me Byakuya is actually sup poetics of this?"_

 _Rukia shrugged. "He didn't want me to stay in your closet while I'm here. He's gotten Urahara to make the arrangement so I will have a nice and comfortable place to stay."_

 _"Hah..." Ichigo pushed his tongue against his cheek while studying Rukia's expression, trying to decide if she was actually pulling his leg._

 _She smirked and patted his cheek. "Trust me._ Nii-sama _does have a certain amount of respect for you after that Aizen thing." She lay down on her back and shut her eyes again. "Close your mouth before you swallow a fly, Berry."_

 _Ichigo did as he was told but only because he felt a grin coming up due to the fact that his best friend would be staying with him in his world._

 _"We'll go out for a celebration later, aLL right? Right now, I need a little shut eye for a couple of hours," she said._

 _Keeping that smile on his face, he laid his head on the pillow, thinking about how this was the best birthday he'd had in so many years but she didn't need to know that._

 _"By the way," he heard her say. "Happy birthday, Ichigo."_


	8. Chapter 8

**Not to be used loosely**

 **Chapter 8**

 **A/N: I do not own Bleach and its characters. A little warning before you start reading this chapter. There's a spoiler here if you haven't been following the** ** _manga_** **until the Quincy arc.**

Kuchiki Rukia stared at her reflection in the mirror vacuously. She was standing on a small platform in her thistle-coloured _furisode_ with _sakura_ prints, where one maid was tying her _obi_ while another adjusted the long sleeves that were almost reaching the floor. _I look like a stupid tree_ , she thought as her arms were spread out at a sixty-degree angle on both sides. The maids were tugging the fabric around her to make sure the kimono was put perfectly on her little body.

"Rukia- _sama_ ," one of the maids addressed her. "You look really beautiful. I am sure your guest will be very pleased to see you."

Rukia sighed. "Thank you, Yumi," she said, forcing a small smile before glaring at herself. She wasn't sure she would be able to pull off a Kuchiki-approved behaviour later. _I think I've had enough of this_ , she told herself. _The clan will probably sentence me to death but at least I will die single rather than being married to someone I don't care for._

"I hope that fruit-head _baka_ has had his dinner," she mumbled, unconsciously.

"Pardon me, Rukia- _sama_?" Yumi asked, raising herself from her kneeling position on the floor where she was straightening the hem of the _furisode_.

Rukia blinked as she realised she had spoken her thoughts out loud. "It's nothing," she dismissed, shaking her head.

"Rukia- _sama_ , please try not to move your head too much. Your hair is not long enough to make a bun so the ornaments will not really stay well on your head," the other maid, Sumiya, cautioned with a worried look. She had been going back and forth between tying the _obi_ and checking Rukia's hairpins.

The Kuchiki princess pursed her lips and glanced back at the mirror. They had managed to pin her stray bang to the side of her head with a purple butterfly clip. The hair at the nape of her neck was pinned into tiny loops to resemble a small bun but every time she moved her head, a loop would escape.

She had succeeded in getting them to keep the make-up light. But they insisted on doing more on her hair, much to her chagrin. She never liked to over-groom herself. Even when Orihime tried to do a makeover for her back in the World of the Living, she had graciously declined, saying that she was comfortable with her natural looks. _Ichigo would have a blast laughing his ass off if he sees me like this. Well, he won't have the satisfaction of mocking me this time because he will not get the chance to see it._

Yumi placed Rukia's _geta_ in front of her and the petite girl silently stepped her socked feet into the wooden slippers. "You are ready for dinner now, Rukia- _sama_."

Rukia nodded. The two girls opened her dressing room door for her to exit into the hallway of her private quarters. She was greeted by two other maids who bowed and addressed her before escorting her to the main region of the Kuchiki Manor where the dining hall for visitors was.

When she arrived, a butler in a _kimono_ bowed to her. "Rukia- _sama_ , Kuchiki- _sama_ and your esteemed guest are expecting you. Please," he greeted her as he pulled the _shoji_ door for her to enter.

She bowed in acknowledgement and stepped into the dining hall. The first thing she saw was her brother sitting on a _zabuton_ while speaking to their guest who was on the _kamiza_ , which was the seat for an honoured guest. This setting was new to her as even the Kuchiki elders and the other suitors had never gotten this sort of treatment from her brother.

The guest looked up as she entered and immediately she was taken by his soft and gentle gaze. He had the face of a young boy but at the same time, he held an air of maturity and authority in his hard look. His long hair was pulled up in a ponytail while his messy fringe fell over his forehead, almost covering his catlike eyes, which looked oddly familiar to her and seemed to remind her of someone she knew very well. He was dressed in a black _kimono_ of pure silk, a cream _obi_ with golden trimmings tied around his waist. He was also wearing an emblem on his sleeve – a hexagon-shaped one with four stars and the crescent of a moon in the centre. That's when she knew why he looked so familiar…

"Rukia," his brother snapped her out of her musings. "Please come and greet our guest. You will address him as…"

* * *

"Kurosaki- _san_ ," the blonde man with the green bucket hat greeted Ichigo from behind his fan. "We were expecting you."

Ichigo raised a brow. " _We_?" he deadpanned.

Urahara smirked. "Yes, Yoruichi and I. So, what can we do for you?"

"I don't know. How about _you_ tell me, since _you_ were the ones expecting me," Ichigo replied, crossing his arms over his chest in annoyance. Urahara was never known as someone who would make anything easy for anyone. And yet the guy's supposed to be assisting Shinigami matters between the two worlds.

The former captain snickered. "Kurosaki- _san_ , I only said we were expecting you. You are, after all, our Substitute Shinigami and this place is for liaisons between the World of the Living and Soul Society. So what is it that you need from us? You _have_ to tell me. I'm not a mind-reader, you know?"

"Just cut the crap and open up the _senkaimon_ , already, _Geta-boshi_!" Ichigo grabbed Urahara's collar and slammed him back onto a wall.

The man didn't appear fazed at all but Ichigo was too late to catch the sly grin on his face. " _Sai_ …" the shopkeeper whispered and Ichigo's arms were snapped behind him, bound by the _bakudo_.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" Ichigo growled, trying to free himself.

Before he could release from the spell, Urahara had dragged his body towards the basement training grown. "I'm sorry, Kurosaki- _san_. I am under strict orders from Kuchiki- _san_ to not allow you to charge into Soul Society again."

Ichigo wrestled under his grip and cursed Urahara for his tight binding spell. It was definitely different from the one cast by Rukia as the exiled Shinigami was a _Kido_ master and not just an expert. "Since when did you ever listen to Rukia? Release me, now! I'll fight you if that's what you want before you open that damn door!"

"My, my, our little Shinigami- _daiko_ here would do anything for love," Urahara goaded as he tightened his grip on the back of Ichigo's _shihakusho_. "I would love to spar a bit with you but the person who gets the honour of doing that is waiting for you in the training ground."

At that, he threw Ichigo into the giant training field under his shop. The orange-haired man fell onto the hard ground where he was met face-to-face with a black cat. "Yoruichi- _san_ ," he grunted.

The cat snickered and made its usual transformation into the naked woman that Ichigo hated so much. He growled at her and kept his eyes closed. "Put on some clothes, you perverted woman!"

He heard another snicker before a hand pulled him up by the front of his _shihakusho_. "Always the prudy little boy, Ichigo," she said, her face inches from his. He opened one eye and was relieved to find that she had her clothes on this time.

Yoruichi's cat eyes narrowed as she snarled at him. "How are you ever going to make a move on Rukia if you're not man enough to acknowledge a woman's body?"

"How did you know?" Ichigo shoved her hand away.

Yoruichi smirked. "Know what? That you're in love with her or that you're going to ruin her _date_ with her suitor?" she asked, emphasising the word 'date' to watch him cringe.

"Whatever… let's get this over with if I have to fight you to get to Soul Society. We don't have all the time in the world," he spat, retrieving Zangetsu from his back.

"Put your _zanpakutou_ away. You won't be needing that," Yoruichi said, backing a few feet away from him.

"Then how are we going to spar? With _kido_? That's not fair. You know I can't do that shit."

Yoruichi chuckled. "Then, you don't really have what it takes to court our _kido_ expert, do you?"

"Court? I know you guys are centuries old but we don't use obsolete words like that here."

"Yap away, Kurosaki. We'll do something Byakuya- _bo_ and I used to enjoy. A game of tag," Yoruichi said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Ichigo furrowed his brows. "I don't have a red ribbon for you to run away with. And even if I do, I won't give a damn what you'll do with it."

"No, you don't. But I've got this," she boasted and showed him something in her hand that looked similar to his Substitite Shinigami badge. "All you need to do to prove your worth for our Kuchiki princess is to snatch this from me."

With that, the cat lady disappeared from his sight, leaving Ichigo to stand where he was like an idiot trying to grasp what it was that he was supposed to do.

In less than three seconds, he felt the wind she caused as she _shunpo_ past him, slapping the back of his head. "Earth to, Kurosaki. You were the one who said we don't have all the time in the world."

Ichigo glared before he shut his eyes to release his _reiatsu_ to search for hers. When he sensed it, he flash-stepped in her direction, chasing her around the training ground. Yoruichi was not called the Goddess of Flash for nothing. Every time Ichigo thought he had touched even the edge of her clothes, she was gone from his sight and would be snickering at him from the other end of the massive training space. He would then begin the chase again, only to be disappointed with his own speed.

It must've been at least an hour of arduous, fruitless flash-stepping before he finally sat himself down by the corner to take a breather. He leaned his elbows on his knees and buried his head in his hands, thinking of what Yoruichi had said earlier about him not deserving Rukia. He was burning with rage now, as he didn't know what else he could do to get to her.

"Giving up so soon, Ichigo?" Yoruichi baited, swinging the badge like a pendulum in his face. He looked up and glared at the offending thing. He knew he could just reach out and snatch it from her but that would not get her to open the _senkaimon_ for him. She wanted him to catch her first.

"What is that thing that I'm supposed to take from you?" he asked, breathing heavily still.

"It's my clan's emblem," Yoruichi replied, she grabbed the badge and held it to his face for him to see it.

Ichigo frowned. "What has that got to do with me and Rukia?"

Yoruichi smirked and _shunpo_ to the other end of the room, after tying the badge on her arm. "The person you're up against for the hand of Kuchiki Rukia," she exclaimed.

Ichigo's eyes widened as he listened to her revelation.

"… is my brother."

"GETSUGA TENSHO!"

* * *

"Shihouin Yuushiro- _sama_ ," Byakuya introduced. "He is the 23rd head of the Shihouin house and the guardian of the heavenly armour."

"An honour to meet you, Shihouin- _sama_ ," Rukia sat down in a _seiza_ next to her brother and bowed, her head touching the _tatami_ floor.

"The honour is mine, Rukia- _sama_ ," Shihouin responded with a small bow himself.

"I shall leave you to your dining, Shihouin- _sama_. Your food shall be served shortly. I trust you will enjoy the hospitality of the Kuchiki house," Byakuya said, getting up to leave.

Rukia looked up at her brother as he gave her a warning gaze through his narrowed eyes. She immediately felt trapped, as she knew her brother must have had a hand in this matter to go all out. It wasn't just the clan's decision then. This time, it was Byakuya's personal choice and there was no way she would be able to weasel out of it.

* * *

 **I had to stop here. As usual, my writing time is limited. I'm not too happy with how it ends. Shihouin Yuushiro is a bit out of character here and he's probably going to be very much like this for a while. But he** ** _is_** **the clan leader so he has to have a certain amount of maturity in his character despite being portrayed so young in the manga.**

 **I was half-way through this chapter when I realised it was Ichigo's birthday so I made way for his birthday chapter before I posted this one.**

 **Thank you for all your reviews. I am very, very, very grateful for all your comments especially those who put a lot of thought into giving me your heartfelt opinions. I'm sorry I do not have the time to reply to them yet. But please continue to review, as your feedback is the very thing that encourages me to update this fic.**

 **Selamat Hari Raya and Eid Mubarak to all my Muslim readers!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Not to be used loosely**

 **Chapter 9**

 **A/N: I do not own Bleach and its characters.**

The Shihouin clan leader seemed to enjoy the meal he was having with Rukia. Although they were both silent as they took pleasure in tasting the _kaiseki_ dishes prepared by the best chefs of the Kuchiki house, Rukia could see that Shihouin was very relaxed and was quite satisfied with her company.

It was after the empty _mizumono_ dish of sweet cakes were removed that Shihouin cleared his throat and watched Rukia as she filled his cup with hot _ocha_. "You are a very beautiful woman, Rukia- _sama_."

Rukia paused in her half-kneeling position, as she was about to pour the tea into her own cup. She let her eyes meet his briefly before she carried on with what she was doing. When she sat back down on her knees, she bowed a little before saying, "You're very kind, Shihouin- _sama_."

"Please call me Yuushiro. We need not be so formal," he said, taking a sip of his tea.

"Hai, Yuushiro- _sama_."

Shihouin looked around the room, feeling a little awkward and agitated at the same time that Rukia was being very silent. He could tell she was not comfortable around him. He sighed. "Rukia- _sama_ , is there a garden we could take a walk in. I'm feeling a bit cooped up in here."

Rukia glanced up at him, quite startled that the 23rd head of the Shihouin clan would want to be so casual. "There's one just outside this quarters, Yuushiro- _sama_."

Shihouin stood up and surprised her by offering her his callous hand. Rukia stared at it for a moment before she gazed up at his face. He was looking at her with that expression again – like he could sense she was trying to mask her uneasiness with the whole arrangement. Reluctantly, she took his offer and followed him out the dining hall into the garden at the front of the Kuchiki Manor.

It was a huge garden that was well taken care of. Rukia had never really had the chance to enjoy the beauty of this place as she also had a garden behind her room in her own quarters. This one had a big pond of _koi_ right in the centre of it.

Shihouin led Rukia to stroll on the small bridge that arched across the pond. They stopped when they reached the middle of the bridge. The noble prince leaned his elbows on the railing as Rukia stood next to him, her hands joined across her waist. She was getting really tired of all these rigid postures that she had to put up.

"You don't want to be here, do you?" Shihouin asked, observing the fish that were swimming under them.

Rukia swallowed and tried to think of an excuse that would not offend him. It was too late to deny his speculation. He could sense her restlessness. She moved closer to the railing so she could also see what he was looking at. "I'm sorry, Yuushiro- _sama_."

Shihouin chuckled. "There's nothing to be sorry about, Rukia," he said, surprising her once again with his casual demeanour. "If anything, I should be the one to apologise for approaching your brother."

"You approached _Nii-sama_ about me?" she asked. In the past, it had always been the Kuchiki elders that 'hunted' for a potential husband for her. This was the first time someone had actually asked for her on their own accord.

He nodded and straightened himself, placing both his palms on the railing. "I have always been very fascinated by your character – so strong, courageous, and independent. I have heard so much about you and all that you've done for Soul Society. In fact, I wanted to make my offer two years ago but my sister was against it. She is still against it, actually. But I'd like to at least get to know you."

"Does Yoruichi- _san_ know about our meeting?" Rukia furrowed her brows. She knew that the former captain of the 2nd Division couldn't keep her mouth shut. She could sense trouble brewing in the World of the Living right at this moment.

Shihouin smirked at her. "Yes, she does. Of course, she said she would later give me a good spanking with a _bokken_ like when we were little. But I want to do this. She cannot stop me from wanting to be your friend."

"Friend," Rukia reiterated. "Why go through all that trouble if you just want to be my friend?"

"I like challenges. If this goes as Kuchiki- _sama_ expected, I will have myself a bride. Otherwise, a friend would suffice," he turned his body to face her. Rukia, who had begun to relax a little, tensed up again when he gazed deeply into her eyes. "But of course, I suspected that I would not be able to penetrate beyond mere friendship with you," he said with a grim look.

Rukia felt almost guilty. It would take a lot for anything to happen between the two of them. Like Ichigo once said, ' _How can anyone love someone she hardly spends time with?'_

As if reading her thoughts, Shihouin snapped her back to the present. "Why don't you tell me about your adventures in the World of the Living?" He added, "With Kurosaki Ichigo."

She was taken aback but her suddenly slacken expression told him that it was a comfortable topic for her. _He_ was a comfortable topic for her.

"Let's have a seat, shall we? And you can then tell me about this _ryoka_ who saved the worlds," Shihouin said, motioning to a nearby bench.

When they sat next to each other, Rukia began to talk about what she did in the World of the Living. She spoke about her human friends and all the human things she did with them. She told him about the festivals at the end of winter and summer that they would celebrate together with the Kurosaki family; and how the technology of that world was totally different from what even the 12th Division had.

By the time she had finished her little story, Shihouin could see the glow on her face that she didn't have earlier when they were having dinner together. He was immediately surged with envy that the World of the Living could bring out so much joy in her. He would do anything to watch her become so animated, so out of the Kuchiki character that she was trained to portray. But he knew there was only one person who could do that.

"Are you in love with Kurosaki Ichigo?" he asked, not very sure if his ears were willing to hear her answer… or if his heart could take it.

She smiled, looking into the distance. "We're just friends, Yuushiro- _sama_ ," she replied.

"On the surface, yes. But you speak of him with so much admiration, it's almost on an unhealthy level of just a simple friendship," he smirked.

Rukia blushed furiously. "We're really nothing more than comrades, I assure you. He needs to get his life back as a human. That's the reason why I'm there to help him fight hollows whenever he is busy with his commitments. So he can secure a normal future like everyone else," she explained.

Shihouin nodded. "So you're dictating his life for him?"

"What?" Rukia turned around to face him. She didn't even bother to hide how hurt she felt by those words that he had just said. "How could you say that?"

He smirked. "Why not? It sounds a lot like you've had Kurosaki Ichigo's life all planned out for him?"

Rukia winced. It was bad enough that she had ruined Ichigo's life when he was fifteen. Now, she's told that she's ruining his future by trying to make things right for him. "Shihouin- _sama_ , I do not appreciate the accusation. Ichigo and I agreed to work things out this way just so he could carry on with his human life with minimal distractions as a Shinigami."

"He agreed? If he had wanted a human life, he would have rejected his Shinigami powers in the first place. Why does he still keep it? Why does he keep you around, Rukia?"

"Ichigo believes in protecting the people around him. That's why he keeps his powers," Rukia argued.

"And you?" he challenged. "Does he really need you there with him? I'm pretty sure he's capable of handling his human life. He has more experience in being human than you do. As for being a Shinigami, Kurosaki- _san_ is a captain-level Soul Reaper. He doesn't need you there to fight for him or to protect him."

Rukia gaped at his reasoning. He watched her facial expression as the words sink in and he hoped she had come to the right conclusion.

"So why do you think he needs you around, Rukia?" he asked again.

The girl shut her eyes and swallowed the lump in her throat. Pain swept across her face as she gathered herself to say the very thing she dreaded to say. "I guess he doesn't need me at all," she mumbled and looked down at her fingers on her lap.

Much to her annoyance, Shihouin burst out laughing. It was so loud that even the guards at the gate of the Kuchiki property turned their heads to see what was going on; and they were at least 200 yards away.

"What is so funny, Shihouin Yuushiro?" Kuchiki mask be damned. She was being made fun of and the Rukia from Inuzuri would never let anyone ridicule her. Ichigo was a living testimony to that. She stood up from the bench and glared down at the ponytailed man who was gasping for breath at her expense. "The nerve of you to laugh at me when I'm upset!"

Shihouin, while trying to control his laughter, took her hand in his and gently pulled her to sit down again but she was stubborn enough to keep her stance. "Sit down, Rukia. I apologise for laughing at you. Please let me explain." He tugged her hand again.

After glaring at him for a few seconds more, she relented and sat with her body turned towards him. "Explain away," she deadpanned.

After composing himself, he took both her hands in his and gave her a very serious look. "Kuchiki Rukia," he began. She gulped. "You are a very special woman. I don't think we will ever find another like you even if we turned the universe, the worlds, and the timeline upside down and inside out. The person who manages to capture that heart of yours is definitely the most fortunate man alive. And I almost resentfully say that that man is obviously Kurosaki Ichigo."

Rukia narrowed her eyes and glanced at him sideways. "That's kind of a mouthful to say, wasn't it?"

Shihouin chuckled. "Yeah, it was."

"Well, thank you very much for putting me on a pedestal," she said, earning her a very unorthodox snort from the other noble. "But all the sweetness doesn't really matter because Ichigo _obviously_ has someone else in mind."

The young man furrowed his brows. "Did he tell you that?"

"No, but someone else did. And I think it's only fair that he gets a normal social life instead of hanging out with a ghost in a faux body," she hypothesised.

Shihouin shook his head in bemusement. "That's not the way I see it. Like I said, why would he keep you around?" he asked, squeezing the hands he was still holding. "If not because you're someone special to him?"

Rukia bit her lip as she pondered on what he just said. She wanted so much to believe him and hang on to those words for assurance. But it all seemed farfetched to her. She and Ichigo were from two different worlds. He would continue to grow older every day while she would still be the same. As a human, he would need to get married and have children. She would only get in the way.

"You know what?" Shihouin offered her a smile. "I'll let you think about this. And I will tell your brother that our _date_ was not successful," he jested, letting go of her hands and making quote marks around the word 'date'.

"Yuushi…"

He put up a hand to stop her and continued, "I understand. I knew how this would turn out from the very beginning. But like what I told you earlier, I just wanted a chance to get to know you. And this is good enough for me. I know my _Nee-sama_ is going to make fun of me for the next 500 years but hey, I have no regrets about ever having this little encounter with you." He cupped her jaw and placed a chaste kiss on the spot between her eyebrows.

"Thank you, Yuushiro- _sama_."

* * *

The _izakaya_ at the 1st District of Rukongai looked surprisingly different from the last time Ichigo had set foot there. It still smelled of sake, puke, and blood combined, and the Shinigami that crowded the place were mostly from the 11th Division. But there was now a small stage at the end of the room where he spotted an acoustic guitar resting on a stand. There was even a dart wall opposite the sake counter.

Somebody must've gotten the idea from the bars in the World of the Living. Ichigo's first guess would be Matsumoto Rangiku, followed by Kira Izuru and then, Abarai Renji. But come to think of it, it could also have been Madarame Ikkaku or Ayasegawa Yumichika. Although, he doubted it could be the latter as the place was anything but _beautiful_. Because of him and Rukia, the Shinigami from Soul Society had somehow found excuses to frequent the World of the Living.

 _Rukia…_ he thought, his head immediately met the bar counter a few times before he felt a long arm over his shoulders.

"Dude, you know you can talk to me right?" came Renji's half-tipsy voice. The pineapple head was the one who found Ichigo wandering aimlessly around the barracks and dragged him to the _izakaya_.

Ichigo grunted and took a sip of his _sake_ straight from the bottle, shrugging Renji's arm off his back.

Renji guessed, "Girl problem?"

The _ryoka_ ignored him. He didn't feel like talking about it. At least, not yet. He was not drunk enough.

" _Rukia_ problem?" Renji tried again.

"Shut up, Renji," Ichigo muttered as he twirled the bottle in his hand.

Renji snorted. "Why am I not surprised? What did she do now? Twist your life around and then, shove it back to your face?"

Ichigo flinched at the truth in the spot-on guess. He glanced at Rukia's childhood friend and decided that he should talk to him. After all, he needed to get it off his chest and the guy's half-drunk, anyway. Renji might not even remember a thing in the morning.

 _After Urahara and Tessai had healed both Ichigo and Yoruichi at the_ shoten _, the shopkeeper opened the_ senkaimon _for Ichigo to make his way to Soul Society. The Getsuga Tenshou had really done a number on the cat lady and himself. The attack he summoned had surprised both of them when he crashed right into Yoruichi at high speed. She was too shocked to stop him when he ripped the emblem right off her arm. But she had praised him later on for having somewhat defeated her, even though it wasn't as deliberate as he had wanted it to be._

 _Unable to restrain himself, he_ shunpo _all the way to the Kuchiki Manor the moment he stepped foot into Soul Society only to find out that the guards were given strict orders 'not to let anyone bother Rukia-_ sama _and her guest'._

 _Ichigo was about to scream at them when he saw Rukia and the guy sitting in the garden. She couldn't sense his presence at the gate because he had concealed his_ reiatsu _. He didn't want Byakuya to go all petals on him before he could speak to Rukia._

 _He squinted to see that they were both facing each other and… were they holding hands? They stayed in that position for a long time, apparently chatting away affectionately. And when the guy he knew as Yoruichi's brother leaned in to kiss Rukia, Ichigo felt his heart break into a million pieces. The guards watched him turn around and walk away lifelessly from the manor._

Ichigo took the Shihouin emblem out from his _shihakusho_ and flipped it around in his hand. "I'm supposed to show this off to Yoruichi- _san_ 's brother. To prove my worth, like what she said," he smirked at it.

"I think you should still do it," Kira said as he shrugged.

Hisagi slapped Ichigo on the shoulder. "Yeah, man. You didn't see Kuchiki- _fukutaichou_ returning the kiss, did you?"

Ichigo furrowed his brows and looked around the bar counter. "When the hell did you guys get here?" Obviously, he was almost as drunk as Renji to notice the extra company.

"Aww, Ichigo- _kun_ ," Matsumoto hiccupped and embraced Ichigo in a suffocating hug with her humungous breasts. "You poor, poor thing," she said before shoving his head away and ignoring the colour change on his face. Ichigo couldn't decide if he was red with embarrassment or turning purple from lack of oxygen.

She then, turned to Hisagi and dragged him by his elbow to the stage. "C'mon, Shuuhei. Play him a song."

The tattoo face picked up the guitar with a smirk and sat himself down on the stool in the middle of the tiny stage. "This one's for you, Kurosaki Ichigo. It should've been called Love Sucks. And you know it," he drawled.

Hisagi started plucking the song by _Incubus_. The minute Ichigo recognised the intro, he again banged his head on the counter a couple of times. He inwardly cursed the 9th Division _fukutaichou_ over and over again as he listened to him croon the damn song. By the last chorus, everyone else in the bar was singing along.

 _Love hurts..._

 _But sometimes it's a good hurt_

 _And it feels like I'm alive._

 _Love sings,_

 _When it transcends the bad things._

 _Have a heart and try me,_

 _'cause without love I won't survive._

Ichigo groaned and downed the rest of the _sake_ before asking for another bottle. Hisagi had started singing another English song. It's weird how everyone seemed to know how to sing in foreign languages when they are dead drunk.

Kira, who was sitting on his right mumbled about Hinamori Momo being too hung up on Aizen Sousuke while Matsumoto got all emotional about Ichimaru Gin. Renji, on the other hand, had already passed out after repeating Tatsuki's name. Ichigo couldn't take it anymore. Everyone's just so heartbroken around him.

He got up with his full bottle and made his way out of the bar. As he approached the doorway, though, he realised too late that he was about to trip and fall. He braced himself for impact. However, he never landed on the ground and was instead held upright by two small hands on his chest.

Before he passed out, he thought he heard a very familiar voice calling him, "Ichigo!"

* * *

 **I did again. Managed to squeeze one more chapter into my tight schedule. I've got to leave it like this for a few days, though, as I'm going away on a vacation with my family. Will get the next chapter up as soon as I can.**

 **Oh, before I go, I'm going to explain how the idea of making Shihouin Yuushiro the suitor came about. I was prepared to come up with an OC for the part. I even had a name for him – Kagerou Takashima. He would be held from a lost noble house and was supposed to be next in line to be the head of the Kagerou clan.**

 **However, at that time, I didn't really follow the manga. I stopped reading it quite sometime ago because I felt the Quincy war was dragging for too long. But then when I got back to the manga again, I found this Shihouin character to be quite appropriate for the part of Rukia's suitor.**

 **So I did a research on him and discovered that there was nothing much about him at all apart from the fact that he was the 23rd head of the clan and he was a polite boy. Nothing was mentioned about his age. But seeing as Yoruichi is much older than Byakuya, I don't think Yuushirou is that much younger than her. I thought it would be a good idea for him to be the suitor because he was exactly someone Byakuya had always wanted Rukia to be err… betrothed to. Noble… polite… that's all I had to this character, actually. I decided to adopt him and turn him into who he is in this fic. Haha…**


	10. Chapter 10

**Not to be used loosely**

 **Chapter 10**

 **A/N: I do not own Bleach and its characters.**

Ichigo's eyes fluttered open to greet the rays of the sun that were stealing their way through the curtains. He could barely register the fact that he was not in his human body but there was a violent throbbing in his head.

It took him a while before he realised that he was on a soft white _futon_ and he was not alone. His memory jolted back to the night before at the tavern and he distinctively remembered how drunk he got while listening to the other miserable Shinigami rant about their love lives. He even remembered Hisagi's singing and the twanging of his guitar.

But he couldn't recall anything beyond leaving the _izakaya_ with a bottle of _sake_. He was certain he did not make it back to the World of the Living because he couldn't have possibly barged into a captain's barrack to demand that they opened a _senkaimon_ for him. That is, without being brutally reprimanded by the Yamamoto- _soutaichou_.

He was not alone... _Shit! Don't tell me I went home with one of the bar girls_ , he cursed as he squinted to see the girl whose tiny waist he had his arm carelessly draped over. He was pretty sure it was a girl as there was no way any guy would be that small unless he was Hanatarou. _Eww..._

However, a waft of vanilla scent assuaged his fears when he recognised the little woman as his best friend. She was facing away from him but he could tell it was her by the way she curled her body on her side like how she would always sleep back at home. He had gotten used to that sight after so many years.

He lifted his head up, ignoring the splitting headache it caused, to peer at the calm expression on her face as she remained in a deep slumber. She was wearing a loose _yukata_ , her baby blue camisole peeked from the opening over her torso. It was what she would always wear if she had to come out of her room at night to get a glass of water back at home. He could even tell that she was wearing a pair of his boxer shorts without having to see it.

His mind drifted back to what he saw yesterday at the garden of the Kuchiki Manor and once again, he felt the stabbing pain in his chest. That was the thing that had led to his unusual amount of drinking last night, which in turn led to him finding himself in – what he guessed to be – Rukia's room in the barrack of the 13th Division, wearing his long lost 'Nice Vibes' shirt over his _hakama_. The midget must've changed him out of his _shihakusho_ when she brought him here. The thought made his heart swell at the fact that she had taken care of him again, despite her being possibly betrothed to that Shihouin dude.

How all that had happened, he didn't know... and frankly, he didn't quite care either. Because at that moment, aside from trying to sleep off the horrible hangover, all he wanted to do was to savour this moment of having Rukia in his arms. He would ask her about it later.

Ichigo sighed as he pulled Rukia closer towards him, burying his face in her hair. Her soft snore lulled him back to sleep in a matter of seconds.

* * *

 _"Ichigo!" Rukia held her best friend's slumping body up with all her might. The guy almost crashed into her when he fell at the doorway of the_ izakaya _._

 _"Well, looks like he literally fell for you," slurred a familiar voice behind him. It was followed by a lazy chuckle. "I'll leave him to you then. I was afraid he would fall face first and have a concussion or something."_

 _Rukia looked over Ichigo's shoulder to glare at the redhead lieutenant. "Idiot Pineapple, help me haul him up. He's too heavy for me!"_

 _Renji chuckled some more. He'd heard Ichigo leaving the_ sake _counter a minute ago. When he lifted his head to watch the strawberry stagger out, the latter had tripped but Renji was not in time to make it there to grab him from his fall. "Ah, then he can't expect much action in bed," he chortled._

 _"Shut up, Renji! He's passed out. Take him to the 13th for me," Rukia chided, ignoring the heat that had rushed to her face._

 _Renji laughed out loud and lifted his friend over his shoulder. "Lead the way, your highness."_

 _"Wait," she said, taking a red wristband from her_ shihakusho _and slapping it onto Ichigo's wrist. "Okay, let's go."_

 _If Renji was curious about what it was, he didn't bother to ask. He didn't want to know if his childhood friend was the kinky type._

 _"Have you visited Tatsuki?" Rukia asked as they hopped from roof to roof above the Seireitei._

 _The redhead almost tripped at hearing the name of the girl he had left clueless in the World of the Living. "How did you know about us?"_

 _Rukia smirked. "She almost died waiting for you."_

 _"What?" Renji asked and turned around, stopping abruptly. His petite friend came extremely close to crashing right into Ichigo's backside._

 _"_ Baka _! Warn me when you need to pull over!" Rukia reached up to hit the side of Renji's head._

 _He didn't even flinch at her attack but instead, stared at her, as if beckoning her to repeat what she had said._

 _Rukia tilted her head and looked back at him questioningly. "What?"_

 _"You said Tatsuki waited for me?" he asked._

 _She gave him a sly grin and nodded before she explained, "Didn't your third seat pass you the message? I called a few days ago after she came to see me. But they said you were out training with_ Nii-sama _. So I told them to get you to contact Arisawa. Of course, I warned them against telling_ Nii-sama _about it. As much as I'd like to see you fry, I do not want my human friend to be heartbroken."_

 _"Rukia," Renji called, returning her smile and keeping his eyes on her curious face. "Thank you. I've got to go." He lowered the unconscious Ichigo and shoved him against her tiny body._

 _"Hey!" Rukia cried, trying to hold up the Substitute Shinigami who was at least three times her own size._

 _Renji chuckled. "Sorry, you're on your own. I've got some place to go," he excused himself and ruffled her hair before flash-stepping_ _away._

 _Rukia cursed at him as she tried to turn Ichigo's body around so she could support him around his waist while pulling his arm over her shoulders. "He could've at least carried you to the barrack. Jackass..." she muttered to the comatose Ichigo. Inhaling deeply, she gathered all her strength to_ shunpo _the both of them to her_ fukutaichou _quarters._

 _The moment she entered her room, however, she could feel that he was about the hurl. She managed to shove them into the washroom in time for him to puke all over the floor. And himself. And her. She groaned in disgust and slapped him on his forehead._

 _It took her a while to clean him up and change him. She couldn't believe the guy was still out the whole time. She made a mental note to never let him get so drunk ever again._

 _"What were you doing at the_ izakaya _, anyway? And how did your dad know you would be this wasted?" she complained under her breath as she placed him on her_ futon _._

 _On her way to the_ senkaimon _of the 13th after she had changed out of her annoying dinner outfit, she had run into Isshin at the 10th. He was also on the way back to the World of the Living. He had a mischievous grin on his face when he pushed the_ reiatsu _-sealing wristband into her hand and told her to find Ichigo at the tavern. She left immediately, hoping it wasn't too late to get him to go back with her to the World of the Living._

 _Right now, however, she was just too exhausted to transport them back. They would both have to stay in the Seireitei for the night. She had a feeling that Isshin's intention to seal Ichigo's_ reiatsu _had more to do with the former's perverted mind than the latter's inability to control his spiritual power when he's stoned. She cursed the stupid strawberry for not being able to hold his_ sake _before she dropped herself down on the_ futon _next to him and dozed off._

Rukia sat at her kitchen counter, sipping iced tea as she thought about what had happened the night before. She was curious about how Ichigo got to Soul Society when she had precisely told Urahara not to open the _senkaimon_ for him. It couldn't have been Isshin- _san_ because the elder Kurosaki was here all the while, although she was certain he would've been the first to shove his son through the gateway. There was no other way for Ichigo to get there unless he had the help of another captain.

"Yoruichi- _san_?" she guessed, knitting her brows. But why would she do it when she knew that Rukia was going to see her younger brother.

As if reading her mind, the answer arrived at the other side of her door – or at least she thought it did. She got up to slide the _shoji_ door to reveal whom it was that had knocked on it.

"Kira- _fukutaichou_ ," Rukia addressed with a little bow.

"Pardon me, Kuchiki- _san_ ," Kira lifted a hand to greet her. "Could you pass this to Ichigo? He left it at the _izakaya_ last night."

Rukia took the familiar-looking emblem from him and flipped it in her hand slowly to study it. She had just seen the exact same thing on Shihouin Yuushiro's sleeve yesterday. "Thank you, Kira- _kun_. Would you know how he got a hold of this?"

"Ah," Kira began, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "I think you'd better ask him yourself because I'm not sure how much you already know."

Rukia furrowed her brows but she decided not to press on. "I see. It's okay, then. Thanks again," she said reluctantly with another bow before he left her barrack.

She strolled into her bedroom where Ichigo was still sleeping. She was too afraid to think that he could have done something stupid like fight with the noble head just so she would not have to marry him, knowing how over-protective he could get over her. Yuushiro would not have survived even the flare of Ichigo's _reiatsu_ despite being a noble. She had even more questions for him now.

* * *

When Ichigo woke up for the second time that day, he felt that the headache had ebbed away a little. The vanilla scent was still as strong on the pillow next to him but Rukia was not there anymore. He touched the spot she was sleeping in earlier longingly. "Rukia," he murmured.

"I'm right here," he heard her calm voice behind him.

He turned around to find her sitting in a _seiza_ , facing him while reading a scroll or something. "What time is it?" he groaned, feeling the room spin a bit as he got up to a sitting position. He drew his knees up and rested his elbows on them while his hands clutched his head.

Rukia rolled up the scroll methodically, set it aside and began pouring a cup of hot tea from a pot beside her that he did not notice was there earlier on. She held the cup out to him with both hands. "Drink up. Healing you with a _kido_ would attract the attention of my brother so this is all I can do for you until we get home," she said, her voice was still very relaxed.

Ichigo took the cup, feeling a little weirded out by Rukia's odd behaviour. He couldn't help but suspect that this was the calm before the storm. He was, after all, not supposed to be here. He gulped, thinking about how a death by being sealed in an ice block could be worse than being sliced by flower petals.

As he sipped the tea slowly while keeping his eyes on his best friend, he noticed a couple of things about her. One, she kept averting her gaze from him. And two, she was in her _shihakusho_ , which means she actually planned on going 'home' with him instead of staying back in Soul Society where she would usually be wearing her Kuchiki princess garb on her day off. However, instead of feeling elated about it, he was worried that it could be the last time she went back with him.

He sighed and placed the cup in the tray. "What time is it, Rukia?" he asked again.

"It's 3.30 in the afternoon. Does it really matter?" she replied, picking up the tray.

Ichigo crossed his legs and leaned his elbows on his knees. "Yes, it does. I'd like to know how much time I have with you before I don't get to see you again."

Rukia's eyes widened with shock at what he just said but she quickly reverted to her Kuchiki demeanour. "If you're ready, we should make our way back home now," she said quietly, getting up with the tray.

Ichigo got up as well and caught her elbow. "Rukia..."

"We'll talk about it when we get back, Ichigo," she said without facing him and left to clean the tea set in the kitchen.

Ichigo met her at the entrance of her quarters, already dressed in his _shihakusho_. She must have had it washed in the morning because it had the strong flower scent of a washing detergent.

"How did my shirt get here? I haven't seen it in years," he asked, motioning to the t-shirt that he had draped over his lower arm.

Rukia glared at him and took it away before disappearing into her bedroom. Ichigo raised a brow, wondering what that was all about.

"I took it with me when you lost your powers years ago. I want to keep it here, if you don't mind," she muttered when she came back out and began to lead him towards the office to see Ukitake- _taichou_.

"Missing my scent when you're back here, Midget?" Ichigo smirked, trying to lighten up the mood.

Rukia gave him a sideway's glance. "So what if I do, Berry?"

Ichigo paused mid-step. That was definitely not the answer he was expecting.

"Hurry up, Ichigo," Rukia appeared to be pleading as she turned around to face him. "I know you have questions. I have them, too. We'll talk when we get home, alright? I'm just so exhausted from all this masking _reiatsu_ shit."

Ichigo started walking again. "Why are you suppressing it?" he asked. "And why do I have the band on?" He shook the wristband in her face. He knew what it was as his father had spoken about it many times before.

"Your dad got you that," she pulled the wristband, urging him to walk faster before letting it go when he was walking beside her. "And I think it's a good idea because I really do not want my brother finding you here right now."

"My dad? He's here?" he asked suspiciously.

Rukia sighed and told him about the two encounters she had with his father yesterday.

"He came to see Toshirou about Karin? I am so going to kill that bastard if he so much as go anywhere near my sister," Ichigo growled.

Rukia rolled her eyes. "Relax! Karin's a big girl now. And you don't know what _Otou-san_ said to Hitsugaya- _taichou_. He could've been giving him the same warning too."

Ichigo grabbed her shoulder to turn her around. "Did you just call my dad _Otou-san_?"

She responded by slapping his hand away and quickly sped up her pace, trying to hide the sudden blush on her face. "He made me call him that and I guess I kind of got used to it, all right?"

Ichigo smirked. It actually sounded really nice to hear her address his father that way. She was, after all, already considered a member of their family, being automatically included in their activities and all. "I seem to have missed out a lot on my family matters lately. Thanks for being around for them," he said. By 'them', he really meant his sisters.

Rukia shrugged. "You had your work and studies. Don't look so grim. You'll catch up soon," she assured.

It was comforting for the both of them that they could fall back into the familiar connection they always had with each other. The tension from yesterday and this morning had subsided. _For the time being_ , Rukia thought. She didn't know what to expect from the talk she promised him later on when they reached their apartment.

She was thankful that she didn't have to stay another day at the Seireitei. After Shihouin had spoken to Byakuya about their _date_ , her brother looked a bit disappointed but at the same time relieved for reasons beyond her understanding. She didn't bother asking, as she knew he would someday tell her when he felt like it. Nobody questions Kuchiki Byakuya, anyway.

Instead, she asked him for permission to return to the World of the Living that night in order to resume her duties there. He had reluctantly agreed but he made sure to remind her not to let the human connections distract her from her job as a Shinigami.

As Ichigo and Rukia entered Ukitake's office, the long-haired captain greeted them with his usual friendly manner and opened the _senkaimon_ for them immediately. He could sense something was amiss and that his lieutenant seemed to need time alone with the Substitute Shinigami.

* * *

 **I did… not really enjoy my vacation as I had the two chapters for this up in my head the whole time. I decided to try to make full use of my time and have a little fun but I ended up injuring myself while doing some stunts on the monkey bars at a playground. I guess I tend to forget that I'm a bit taller than the average 12-year-old because well, I'm** ** _not_** **a 12-year-old. Lol!**

 **Anyway, that Renji part was supposed to come in at around Chapter 12 or 13 – of course in a totally different way – but because of anon's curiosity, I decided to include it here instead. Sorry, dude, I couldn't reply your review because you commented as a guest. But what I wanted to say was that Tatsuki** ** _thought_** **he was missing because he didn't contact her for a while. It wasn't that he was really missing. He just didn't go to the World of the Living to see her. But I guess putting it here would clear the air for everyone else as well about the RenTatsu thing. So it was a good thing.**

 **Oh, and of course, as always, thank you all so much for your reviews!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Not to be used loosely**

 **Chapter 11**

 **A/N: I do not own Bleach and its characters.**

After struggling with Kon to get back his body, Ichigo managed to shove the pill back into its plush body and left it tied up to one of the pillars in the _shoten_. Urahara grinned cheekily behind his fan but remained quiet. He already knew Isshin's part of the story.

Yoruichi, on the other hand, smirked at Ichigo and was about to ask him something when he held up a hand to her face. "Not now, Yoruichi- _san_ ," he mumbled as he walked past her to get to his car. Rukia had looked at her curiously after she had gotten into her _gigai_ but she followed Ichigo instead of reading too much into whatever the hell it was that was going on.

They had just driven out from the long lane that led to the main road when Ichigo finally spoke up, "How did you get me to your quarters? If I remember correctly, I think I passed out before you came over to the _izakaya_ , Midget."

Rukia glanced at him before turning her attention to the scenery they were driving by towards their apartment. "Renji carried you half-way to the barrack and then I lugged you the rest of the way."

"Half-way? What happened to him?" he asked.

"He got distracted when I told him about Tatsuki. I think he came here to see her last night," she replied with a grin, remembering that goofy look on her childhood friend's face the night before.

Ichigo smirked. "That's good to know. And you carried me to your room?" he raised a brow.

"Yes."

"And changed me?"

"Yes."

"Did you like what you see?" he teased, earning him a slap upside his head. "Bitch! I'm driving!"

"You asked for it, Asshole! And you puked all over the both of us. What was I supposed to do?" she yelled, crossing her arms over her chest.

He chuckled. "Well then, my stolen shirt sure came in handy, didn't it? I don't think I've put on much weight since I last wore it back in high school."

Rukia scoffed. "You're so full of yourself, Kurosaki. Didn't you realise that…" she stopped herself before she gave away how she noticed his chiseled chest embossed through the fabric of that shirt. It had been a tight shirt for him back then. It was even tighter last night, defining his muscular torso that was the result of his many years of training as a Shinigami.

"Been checking me out, Kuchiki?" he quipped, nudging her at her shoulder.

"Whatever," she murmured and looked out the window to hide her blush.

He chuckled again before they fell into a comfortable silence the last two blocks to their shared apartment. Upon arriving, Ichigo pulled up into their designated parking space in the basement.

When they got out of the car, he took Rukia's backpack from her as they walked up to their unit. "I think you're done carrying stuff, Midget," he remarked as he walked behind her.

"I can carry my own bag, Berry!" she snarled, trying to snatch it back.

"Just go and open the door, Rukia." He gestured towards the direction of their apartment while kicking at her heel.

Rukia grunted but did as she was told.

When they entered their home, it felt as though they had been away much longer than just a day. So much had occurred between the two of them and they were dying to find out what actually happened to the other. But at the same time, they wanted time to be at a standstill so they wouldn't have to come out of the comfort of normal interaction which was gradually returning to them, for fear of the unknown that might tear them apart.

"I'm going to take a shower," Ichigo declared but headed to Rukia's bedroom to keep her backpack.

She watched him go before she headed to the kitchen to heat up the dinner she had prepared for the two of them. It was all so casual to them. So familiar. So easy. It was so... _nice_. She didn't want any of this to end. She didn't want to heed Yuushiro's advice to _think about it_ or find out if Ichigo really had someone else in mind that wasn't her. It was so cumbersome to have to go through all of that when they were just fine two days ago. She didn't want what they had to end in awkwardness if it were true that he really was figuring out an arrangement to date a human girl while keeping his identity as a Shinigami a secret.

Rukia bit her lower lip in deep thought while hugging herself in front of the microwave like it was blustering cold air towards her. She stared at the appliance as if challenging it to blow up and erase everything that had happened since the hell butterfly came by right here, carrying her brother's godforsaken message to her. She wanted them to fall back to what they used to be – just best friends without any fear of losing each other. She knew she was being selfish but she couldn't help it.

 _"Love, companionship and friendship. It's troublesome,"_ she remembers telling that to her female classmates in Karakura High School years ago when they asked her about her relationship with Kurosaki Ichigo.

 _Does being in love do this_ _to a person?_ she asked herself. _Does being in love make one selfish?_

"Do you love him?" she heard Ichigo ask from behind her, his arms crossed as he leaned on the door frame. Did she just say that out loud?

She turned around abruptly, almost losing her balance but he caught her by the elbows to keep her stable. She gulped as she looked up at him, silently inhaling the scent of the strawberry shower gel that they both shared. "Who?" she heaved, recovering from the shock.

Without removing his hold on her, he studied her face for a bit before finally saying the name he had somehow learnt to despise in the last 24 hours. "Shihouin Yuushiro." Yoruichi had told him her brother's name before Ichigo entered the _senkaimon_. He hadn't really said it out loud. Well, except for when he was babbling the stories to a bunch of drunken Shinigami at the bar. But he was too drunk himself to notice how bitter it actually tasted in his mouth.

Rukia blinked and averted her gaze. "I don't know," she muttered. She wasn't sure if she wanted to put her feelings on the line right now. She wanted to keep it guarded and have something to get back at him if he really wasn't feeling the same way for her. Yes – she supposed – being in love _does_ make one selfish, sometimes.

Ichigo tilted her chin so she would face him, his other hand still on one of her elbows. "Do you?" he asked again.

"Would it really matter?" She shrugged off from his grip and took a step back.

"Why wouldn't it?" he pressed on, taking a step forward.

She kept her eyes locked on his solemn face while digging into the back pocket of her skinny jeans for the Shihouin badge. She brought it up between them to show it to him. "How did you get this?"

"How did _you_ get it?" he reiterated and tried to snatch it away from her but she shoved it behind her.

"I asked you first," she insisted, giving him a hard glare.

"I fought for it," he replied, returning the glare while reaching around her to grab at it.

She jerked it out of his grasp. "You fought Shihouin- _sama_?"

Ichigo furrowed his brows. She had never addressed Yoruichi so formally. "Yes, I did. So?" He tried grabbing it again. His other hand moved from her elbow to encircle around her waist to keep her from retreating further but neither noticed it as they were both busy deciphering what the other's argument meant.

"You hurt Shihouin- _sama_ over a badge?" she asked incredulously.

"Tessai healed us. We're both okay. Thanks for being concerned about _me_ too!" he exclaimed sarcastically. It hurt him to think that Rukia would care more about someone else instead of him – her best friend for so many years.

Rukia's violet orbs widened in shock. "You brought him to the World of the Living for a match over his clan's emblem?" she asked dubiously.

Ichigo paused as he realised that something just didn't add up. " _Him_? Are we talking about the same Shihouin?"

"Wha-? Weren't you-? Didn't you just say you fought Yuushiro for this?" she asked, lifting up the badge but quickly pulling it back into hiding again.

Ichigo scoffed. "Yuushiro," he spat his name out with resentment. "Wow… You're on a first name basis now." This time, he could feel himself being torn apart.

Rukia gaped at his reaction. "What's it to you?"

"What's it to me?" he repeated, fisting on the material of her shirt on her lower back. "Nothing, _Rukia_. It means _nothing_ to me like what it means to you. And for the record, it was Yoruichi's idea that I fought her for that damn emblem before they opened the _senkaimon_ for me." He let go of her and took a few steps back.

All of a sudden they both missed the proximity between them earlier on that they had only noticed was there when it was already gone.

Rukia's gaze softened as she backed up to lean on the counter, her palms flat on the top. "Why?" she asked, her voice was so soft she wasn't sure if he had heard her.

"Why what?" Ichigo narrowed his eyes.

Rukia couldn't tell what his expression meant. Even though he had taken off his wristband when he returned to his human body, she still couldn't interpret what his unsteady _reiatsu_ was all about right now. It was something she had never felt from him before. "Why did she want you to fight her?"

Ichigo huffed and glared at the ceiling as he brushed his damp orange hair back in frustration. He looked back at the petite girl he had fallen so badly for. So _devastatingly_ for. All he wanted to do was skip the argument, grab her right there and then, and kiss her senseless so she would forget about that Shihouin jerk and his proposal.

"She challenged me into a game of tag so I could prove my worth," he replied quietly, feeling like he had already failed despite having won the stupid game.

"Your worth?" she asked, confused. Her hand tightened around the badge on the counter. She could feel its corners digging painfully into her palm.

Ichigo nodded before he chuckled sadly. "But that doesn't even matter now. You chose him, anyway." He turned around to head to his room like a child being sent away for breaking the rules. He didn't want her to see him lose control over his emotions. Not like this.

The Shihouin badge hit the floor with a clunk as Rukia let it drop before catching up to Ichigo. She grabbed his face with both of her hands to look into his eyes that had begun to tear up and crashed her lips onto his, begging him silently to forgive her for taking her time to realise the truth. Begging him to forgive her for putting him through all the moments he thought he didn't matter to her. Begging him to forgive her for letting him go into despair of almost losing her to another man that she didn't even love.

He gasped in surprise but his bottled-up desire for her overpowered his astonishment. Encircling his arms around her waist, he pulled her close against him as he returned her kiss. It was nothing and everything like he had imagined their first kiss to be. _His_ first kiss. He had kept it so long for her and he didn't even know it.

"I don't know what gave you that idea, Berry," she whispered, her breath fanning his lips when they parted for air as she slipped her hands behind his neck. She was still struggling on her tipped toes to reach his height. "But even he knows my heart is right here with you."

That was all it took for Ichigo's defences to fully crumble at his feet. He grabbed her thighs to pick her up so she was straddling him and went in for another kiss, which she responded eagerly. She curled her legs around his waist as she buried her fingers in his hair, her nails digging into the back of his head. His knees buckled at her actions; he had to back her up against the wall to support her while he nibbled at her lower lip, pleading for entrance. She moaned and he took advantage of the moment to enter the crevice of her mouth, bringing them into a furious battle of dominance and passion now that they were certain about their feelings for each other.

* * *

 **Well, there you go. Now that I've finally gotten it all off my chest, I'm going to catch some Zs before I pass out myself.**

 **Keep the reviews coming! You know I love them. Thank you!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Not to be used loosely**

 **Chapter 12**

 **A/N: I do not own Bleach and its characters.**

Renji cursed as he leapt away from the goal post that he was on to avoid a blast of cero emitted by the Gillian. The damn hollow attack had taken him away from his date with Tatsuki. They were having dinner at a restaurant after a movie when his _denreishinki_ alerted him of the uninvited guests. He had to leave her at the restaurant by herself with the promise that he would make a quick extermination of the hollows. Of course, that was before he found out how many Gillians there were coming out from a _kumon_ in the sky.

He had left his gigai in one of the dark alleys near where Tatsuki was. Renji cursed himself again for not getting Ginnosuke from Urahara last night when he arrived at Karakura. In his defense, he was in a hurry to see someone important. Now, he couldn't even contact his girlfriend to tell her not to wait for him. _Girlfriend_ – that's something he needed to get used to and despite his struggle with the hollows, he found himself smirking at the idea.

"Shit! The last time we were ambushed like this, it was because Ishida had released that stupid hollow bait!" a voice said behind him.

"Well, you can't blame Ishida for this one because it's all your damn fault!" cried another voice that was all too familiar to him.

Renji grunted irritably. "About time you two showed up, love birds!" he grumbled as he slammed Zabimaru on the mask of a hollow, causing it to release a loud shriek before dissolving in the air.

"Renji!" Rukia shouted. She was rather surprised that her childhood friend had gotten there before they did.

"Yo, Pineapple," Ichigo greeted. He was just as surprised as his midget friend but he was too busy whipping Zangetsu around to show it.

Renji grumbled in response. He hadn't even stopped swinging his _zanpakutou_ since he arrived at the scene twenty minutes ago. Gnawing his lower lip, he tried as hard as he could to stay focused on the task at hand instead of worrying about Tatsuki waiting for him at the restaurant on her own.

" _San no mai, Shirafune_!" Rukia called out before she pierced her icy _zanpakutou_ between the eyes of one the Gillians. The hollow started to freeze along with the three other Gillians that were coming together with it towards the small _shinigami_.

Ichigo hopped on top of the four hollows, casually slamming the back of his blade on each of the masks as if he was playing whac-a-mole in an arcade.

"Those were mine, idiot!" Rukia growled, glaring at the man who just couldn't seem to grow up.

The orange-haired soul reaper just shrugged as he went to help Renji finish off the remaining hollows. "I was done with mine," he declared smugly.

Before she could retort, she heard Renji calling her name. She snapped her attention towards him to find him still slashing away. There were about ten of those hollows left. They weren't moving very fast around them so it wasn't that difficult to wipe them off. "Help me get to Tatsuki and tell her it'll take me a while more to clean this up."

Rukia huffed. "What am I now, the messenger boy?"

Renji smirked, his eyes never leaving his target. "You do look like one sometimes, buddy," he replied, earning a chuckle from the other male _shinigami_.

"You fruit heads are so getting it from me later," she snapped before _shunpo_ -ing towards where she felt Tatsuki's presence was.

"I am so dead," Ichigo mumbled as he purified two hollows in front of him and remembered what Rukia had just done to his body before they left the apartment. Another one approached him. It seemed to be much bigger than the rest. He swiped his blade vertically, hoping to crack the top of the mask but the Gillian managed to dodge before firing a cero at him. Ichigo flash-stepped away from the blast but it hit the hem of his _shihakusho_ , singeing off quite a bit of the material. "Crap!"

Renji cackled a distance away. "My turn," he said as he swung his segmented sword towards the hollow from where he was standing. Zabimaru extended itself, winding around the black-cloaked hollow. It gave out a surprised howl as it still had its eyes set on Ichigo. Renji tugged the hilt of his _zanpakutou_ , pulling the hollow towards his scowling friend. "Do what you have to do, Strawberry."

Annoyed at his only choice, Ichigo slashed at the hollow, this time slicing his cleaver right through the hollow's mask. It let out a cry that sounded like a train tumbling off a cliff after derailing from its tracks. The orange-haired harrumphed at his friend as he watched the hollow disappear. Being given an easy target was an insult to his pride but he knew better than to delay the extermination of that last hollow.

"You're welcome!" Renji smirked, sheathing his _zanpakutou_. "What were you guys doing, anyway, to attract this bunch of crazies?"

Ichigo felt himself flushed furiously red at the thought of what had happened at their apartment before Rukia's _denreishinki_ rang.

 _Ichigo reluctantly let Rukia's legs slip off from his waist onto the floor when they heard the faint noise made by her soul pager. Her back was still pressed to the wall as she tried to recall where she had left her communication device._

 _Reading her thoughts, Ichigo tilted his head in the direction of her room but they continued to stare into each other's eyes while the device rang a couple more times. His knuckles remained on the wall, caging her in. "We need to get that," Rukia said quietly, placing her hand on his cheek._

 _Ichigo let out a sigh and nodded with his eyes shut. He covered her hand with his own and brought it to his lips to plant a kiss on her palm. Rukia's expression softened further as he opened his eyes and reluctantly dropped his arm to his side to let her go to her room to get that damn_ denreishinki _of hers._

 _Rukia found her backpack on her bedroom floor in front of her closet and retrieved the pager from its front pocket before flipping it open to see the location of the hollow invasion. It was just around the corner. She turned to glare at Ichigo the moment she felt him peering over her shoulder at the small screen._

 _"_ _What?" he scowled._

 _"_ _There's like a whole battalion of them. No thanks to you!" She elbowed him in the gut, causing him to scowl even deeper as he rubbed the affected area on his abs._

 _"_ _Hey, I wasn't the only one who released a ton of_ reiatsu _while making out," he argued, trying to suppress the blush that was rising to his cheeks as he watched Rukia's face mirroring that reaction._

 _Feeling slightly embarrassed, she crouched down to get the_ gokon tekko _from her backpack. Without warning, she slapped Ichigo hard on the chest with the glove, sending him tumbling out of his body. They both watched his shell drop faced down on the floor._

 _Ichigo winced. "Midget!"_

 _Rukia smirked and stood on top of his lifeless back while popping her_ gikongan _into her mouth. She gracefully stepped out of her_ gigai _and commanded, "Behave yourself, Chappy. We'll be back soon."_

 _"_ _Pyon!" the artificial soul cried, oblivious to the fact that she was stepping on Ichigo's body._

 _Ichigo glared at Rukia's smug face. "Bitch!"_

 _The little Kuchiki shrugged and took off through her window. Ichigo glanced at his poor body and then, at Chappy. He cringed at the thought of what that weird soul could do to him but decided to deal with it later. He had to clean up the mess he and Rukia had caused._

Renji shook his head knowingly. "Man, the two of you have got to learn to control your hormones. Don't forget that your _reiatsu_ are strongly tied to your emotions."

"You're one to talk. Who was it that left his task in Soul Society to run back here into the arms of the woman he _loves_?" Ichigo jeered at the redhead, putting extra emphasis on the last word.

It was Renji's turn to blush but he quickly _shunpo_ -ed back to where his _gigai_ was after a defeated, "Yeah, whatever."

* * *

Ichigo slipped through the window into Rukia's room to find his body sprawled out on her bed. The 'short stuff', however, was nowhere to be seen. The minute he reentered his body, he could feel the little discomfort on his gut and back caused by Rukia before. He remained on his back as he groaned and cursed every soul – living or dead – that stood below five feet.

"Stop whining and get your ass out here. Dinner's cold!" he heard the midget of his life calling him from the kitchen.

Ichigo dragged his body out of her bedroom to where she was and found her drinking the _miso_ soup out from her bowl before getting up to clear the rest of her utensils from the table. "Couldn't you have waited for me?" he asked, taking his seat at the dining table. She had already laid out his portion for him.

Leaving the dishes in the sink, Rukia returned to the table to accompany him. "Sorry, I was famished and I'm really tired. Thought I'd turn in earlier tonight so I'll be able to get up in time to make breakfast for you," she explained as she watched him eat.

The _shinigami daiko_ lowered his rice bowl to take a glance at her. She did look quite worn out. She always did every time she came back from Soul Society but this time, she looked particularly more exhausted than before. It must have been the stress caused by the expectations of the elders and her brother to marry another noble.

Ichigo sometimes forgot that Rukia was the heiress of a noble clan from where she came from. Sometimes, he couldn't tell that this small girl still had a lot to carry on her tiny little shoulders. She always seemed so naturally at peace with herself and yet, still so alive during her stay in the world of the living. He loved that about her and how contagious that serenity is that it helped him relax every time he felt her presence next to him. He always felt at home with her. That was the Rukia that he knew. That was the Rukia that he had come to fall in love with.

The one who's sitting in front of him right now looked so defeated. It was as if someone had told her that she was about to be put into the Senzaikyuu once again to await her death sentence. He could feel the low hum of her _reaitsu_ that told him that she was trying to get her emotions settled after a long weekend.

Ichigo reached out across the table to take both her hands in his, silently communicating through his eyes that he understood why she was tired. "Go ahead and rest. Just sleep in if you need to. I've still got the _anpan_ you made for tomorrow," he said, giving her hands a reassuring squeeze.

Rukia returned his gesture with a small appreciative smile as she got up from the table. Before she could make her way to her bedroom, Ichigo pulled her onto his lap to give her a hug. She willingly sat there for a while with her arms wrapped around his neck, enjoying the warmth he emanated. When she finally got up from his embrace, she planted a chaste kiss on his forehead as she mouthed a 'Thank you' to her best friend.

* * *

 **I apologise for the long wait. I have three Chapter 12s in my folder right now. It took me a while to decide which one to post as the real Chapter 12. Now that I've chosen this one, I have to make amendments to the other two so the story will flow accordingly. I don't quite like the ending to this one, though. I'll try to make up for it as I rearrange the next chapter… and maybe even slip in a bit more of RenTatsu as explanation to what happened when he rushed back from Soul Society to see her.**

 **This chapter is dedicated to the memory of Ayrmed. You've conquered it all and brought it down with you. You've taken a pinch of the literature world with you but your relic remains to inspire us, your comrades. May your soul find peace as your spirit lives on in the hearts of many.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Not to be used loosely**

 **Chapter 13**

 **A/N: I do not own Bleach and its characters.**

It'd been slightly over a week since the two Shinigami had come back from Soul Society. Ichigo had a lot of catching up to do with his studies and Ryuuken was not too happy about him going MIA those two days. It just so happened that there was an explosion in one of the factories on Tuesday night where 40 workers were injured and brought to the hospital. They were terribly shorthanded and all their staff – even those on their day off and those not from the A&E unit – were called in.

The next day when Ichigo reported back to work, the elder Ishida gave him a long lecture about the young man's lack of dedication to his job and how it would affect his professional career in the future. Ichigo then found himself on a 12-hour shift every day for the past week with only four hours of sleep between classes and assignments. He did not even have the time to see Rukia despite the fact that they were staying in the same apartment.

It was a new Wednesday now. Ichigo was sitting at the back of the hall for his last class before he went on his study leave. All his assignments had been completed and submitted. He had two weeks to prepare for his finals. Yesterday was his last day at the hospital and he suspected that that must've been another reason why Ryuuken decided to work him to the death on his last week as an intern.

The orange-haired student sighed as he stretched both his arms before intertwining his fingers behind to support his neck. All he wanted to do when he got home was sleep into oblivion before burying himself in his books again. That, and maybe spend some time with his little midget. With his eyes shut tight, the image of Rukia twirling Sode no Shirayuki around came to his mind. It had been at least a month since the last time he'd trained with her.

Because of this lack of physical activity, Rukia had decided to sign up with a wall-climbing and bouldering gym that had just opened in Karakura not too long ago. She had been faithfully going to that gym three times a week since, spending four hours of her afternoon there. She seemed very passionate about it. Ichigo wondered if it was more of an escape for her rather than something she did to kill time.

A beep from his phone interrupted his thoughts. He glanced at the lecturer droning on and on at the front of the hall – unaware that no one was even listening to him – before taking out his phone to read the message.

 _From: Midget_

 _I'll be at the gym these couple of days, Berry. Level Two training._

 _Level Two training? Did she even have a Level One certification?_ Ichigo thought. His busy schedule had sure caused him to miss out on a lot of things.

 _To: Midget_

 _Okay. Have fun but be careful._

After typing his message, Ichigo shoved the phone back into his pocket. A moment later, there was another beep but before he could check again, a ball of paper was tossed at him from his right. It bounced off his shoulder before landing on the floor next to his foot. He knew whom it was from. Picking up the paper, he sent a hard glare at the smirking Quincy.

 _Are you up for a spar at Urahara's this afternoon?_ It read. Ichigo took out his pen for the first time that day. Obviously, he hadn't been taking notes at all. He scribbled, _Nope. Going home to hibernate._ Andthrew the balled up paper back to Ishida, getting caught in the process.

"Kurosaki, Ishida, I would appreciate it if the two of you stopped passing love notes to each other," the lecturer said while the class erupted in a roar of laughter. Pushing up his glasses with his middle finger, Ishida narrowed his eyes at the plump man. Ichigo, on the other hand, scowled at the rest of the class with a sneer, effectively silencing them. Apparently, he still had the reputation of a delinquent; student doctor or not.

With that reaction from his two top students, the lecturer knew his time was up even though there were still 15 minutes left. He had a feeling none of his audience was really listening to him anyway so he dismissed them. Immediately, the rest of the class scampered out of the hall, chatting away about holiday plans for two weeks. The lecturer sighed and shook his head. No one even cared about studying for their finals.

Ichigo walked slowly towards the door where his wartime comrade was already waiting for him. "Ever heard of texting, Four Eyes? Or is that against your Quincy pride?" he asked.

"I left my phone at Orihime's last night," Ishida mumbled in reply as the two started walking out of the building.

"Someone's getting awfully cozy together," Ichigo smirked.

Ishida could feel the heat rising up at the back of his neck but he remembered what happened not too long ago. "At least I didn't cause a horde of Hollows to ambush the town," he countered with a shrug.

Ichigo clenched his jaw. He hadn't had the time to think about that. Hell, he didn't even get to see Rukia since that night but the two of them had quickly fallen back to their normal routine, neither mentioning the progress of their relationship… if there was any. One thing's for sure, though: he needed to learn to control his _reiatsu_ should something like that happened again. He had mastered withholding the spike of his spiritual pressure when angered. But that kiss with Rukia was a whole new level of emotions altogether.

"Man, I don't know how Renji does it. He's always been an ass at controlling his _reiatsu_ ," Ichigo muttered, running a hand through his orange mane.

"Probably because I'm in a _reiatsu_ -suppressing _gigai_?" a voice came from behind the two students as they approached Ichigo's car at the parking lot.

The substitute Shinigami halted his steps and turned around. "Shit! How the hell did you-?"

"You weren't listening, were you? I'm in a special _gigai_ ," Renji crossed his arms, looking rather smug.

"Abarai," Ishida greeted.

"Yo, Ishida," Renji smirked. "So, are you guys hanging out somewhere? I'm kind of bored."

Ichigo unlocked his car. "How come you're not with Tatsuki?"

"She's at a climbing course or something. Didn't Rukia tell you about it?"

Ichigo furrowed his brows. "Yeah, she did. Just didn't know she was attending it with Tatsuki."

"I'm going to Urahara's to train. You can come along if you want," Ishida offered. "Fat ass here is going home to laze around."

"Shut it, Quincy!" Ichigo snapped. "I'm just catching up on the sleep I missed out on because that father of yours enslaved me the whole of last week."

Ishida shrugged. "Whatever," he said nonchalantly before turning to Renji. "You want to come with me?"

Renji scoffed and gave Ichigo a hard slap on the back. "Sweet dreams, Strawberry. I might as well give Zabimaru something to do." At that, he turned around and followed Ishida towards his car.

* * *

At the gym, the two dark-haired girls did a few stretches to warm up their bodies before their climbing course. There were eight participants for this batch: four belaying pairs. Rukia and Tatsuki were to belay each other. The other pair present was doing light bouldering as they all waited for two other pairs to arrive before they began their training.

"I'm curious," Rukia began as she sat on the yoga mat with one leg stretched out, the other folded at her side while she tried to 'kiss' her knee. "What actually happened on Monday night?"

Tatsuki's cheek tinted pink at the thought. Even though the two girls had been going to the gym three times in the past week since Renji abandoned Rukia to take care of a drunken Ichigo, the little Kuchiki hadn't asked about it and Tatsuki didn't feel the need to tell her. But she knew sooner or later, this childhood friend of Renji's would definitely try to pry. She didn't really mind, though. After all, it was partly because of Rukia that the guy with the fire engine hair decided to take the next step in their relationship.

"He showed up at the _dojo_ around midnight while I was practicing _kendo_. I couldn't sleep that night," the taller girl began.

Rukia grinned. She knew there must've been a progress in their relationship because Tatsuki seemed a lot happier the last week compared to her surprise visit at the apartment. When she ran into her at the gym last Wednesday, Tatsuki even asked if Rukia wanted to be her partner for the Level Two climbing course.

Crossing one thigh over the other, Tatsuki stretched her arms behind her and hooked the fingers of both hands together. "He told me about how he almost died in Hueco Mundo and that out of the 200 men that went together with him, only four of them came out of it… barely alive," she said before switching her pose to the opposite side.

Her petite friend's eyes widened at the revelation. She didn't know how bad the situation had been. She thought Hueco Mundo was more or less under control after the war with Aizen. Focusing on her task in the World of the Living, she hadn't even tried to keep up with what was going on with the rest of Gotei 13. Rukia felt a pang of guilt but she remained silent so Tatsuki would continue her tale.

"During his two-week recovery stay at the Fourth Division, he had a lot of time to think about us and our relationship. And when you told him I had spoken to you, he decided to come back here to try taking it a step further with me."

Rukia watched her friend relaxed with a small smile as she sat in a _seiza_. She was happy for Tatsuki and there was an unexpected booming pride inside of her that her childhood friend had the guts to do something seriously meaningful for his own life. "That's awesome, Tatsuki. I can't say it's going to be easy but I don't think you will ever regret giving each other a shot at this relationship," she said encouragingly.

The other girl nodded and thought back about how great it was that everyone seemed to have found someone they needed and cared about. Even Orihime – who was gradually getting over her feelings for Ichigo – was slowly letting Ishida into her life. Tatsuki suspected that the blonde-haired bubbly girl still hadn't developed any feelings for the Quincy but at least she allowed him to show that he genuinely cared for her.

Love is a funny thing and different people express it differently. Take Ichigo and Rukia for instance… Tatsuki had a feeling the sky would literally crash down to earth before these two ever publicly display their affections for each other like a normal couple would. But it was so obvious that their feelings for each other went beyond what anyone could see. They had the kind of connection, the kind of bond that is only spoken off as mythical and legendary, in fairy tales told to little children as bedtime stories.

Kurosaki Ichigo and Kuchiki Rukia exist to be partners in life and death, protecting each other's hearts. Tatsuki often wondered what everyone's lives would be like if Rukia never broke into Ichigo's room that night. She found her own life very fulfilled at the moment, with Renji being a major part of it.

"What about you and Ichigo?" she asked as she got up from the yoga mat. The other participants had just arrived and they were about to start the course soon.

Rukia shrugged. "We're still the same," she replied with a faraway smile.

* * *

 **Well, here it is: Chapter 13. I ended up writing another story called** ** _Giving us a shot_** **. It is RenTatsu-centric, detailing what really happened when Renji came back to the World of the Living to see Tatsuki. It initially played the part of a flashback in this chapter but it got too long so I decided to take it out and make it int a side-story instead. Do have a read. And don't forget to leave a review on both fics. Thanks!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Not to be used loosely**

 **Chapter 14**

 **A/N: I do not own Bleach and its characters.**

 _"_ Onii-chan _!"_

Ichigo groaned as he removed the phone from his ear. He'd been asleep when it rang. "Yuzu," he muttered groggily, placing the phone back on.

 _"_ Onii-chan _,_ Otou-san _wants you to come back for dinner tonight. It's been over two weeks since you've last shown your face. If it weren't for Rukia-_ nee _, we would've thought you were dead,"_ Yuzu rattled away on the phone before she giggled. _"Not like you're that much alive, anyway."_

Pinching the bridge of his nose with a sigh, Ichigo replied, "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just let me sleep for a bit more. I'll go over at seven later."

The giggle on the phone turned into a full-blown laughter. _"It's already seven,_ Onii-chan _!"_

"What?" Ichigo only remembered passing out when he reached the bed after he got back from the university. He didn't even feel he had slept that long. Apparently, he had skipped lunch.

Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he sat up and noticed that everything was dark in the room. The breeze blowing in through the window was also very chilly. It was already quite late, all right.

"Tell the old man I'll be there after my shower, Yuzu," he said and hung up, ignoring his little sister's squeal at the other end of the line.

He could hear a hint of Billy Corgan's voice singing _'1979'_ from the _iPod_ deck right next to him. Before he could figure out where he was, he saw a note right next to the speakers, weighted by his _Nautica Chronograph_ timepiece. Pulling the note out from under the watch, he flipped it open to read it.

 _Dear Berry,_

 _Didn't want to bother you when I got back from the gym and found you snoring in my bed. (What the hell were you doing in my room, anyway?)_

 _I'll be out having dinner with Tatsuki, Orihime, and Rangiku later._

 _We might catch a movie or go to a bar after that, I don't know._

Otou-san _wants you home for dinner. They miss you. It's been ages since you've last blinded the household with that head of yours._

 _Be sure to make my bed after this and don't ever wear those shoes into the house again,_ Converse _or not._

 _If I find evidence of you snooping around in my room, I'll freeze your ass with my_ bankai _._

 _Rukia_

Ichigo couldn't help smirking as he read the note even though he was quite put off with the awful looking bunnies scattered all over it. How could she even stand the sight of her own drawings?

He realised he was still wearing that _Superdry_ t-shirt and jeans he had worn to his lectures this morning. The only thing he had taken off before 'snoring in Rukia's bed' was the watch. He couldn't remember why he was in her room, though. He figured he was probably hoping to find her there even though she said she was attending a course.

Getting off the bed, he slipped the _Converse_ off his feet and carried them out of the room to keep them at the _genkan_ before heading towards the bathroom for a quick shower. He returned to Rukia's room later to grab his watch and straightened up the sheets on her bed. They didn't even look ruffled at all. He must've slept like the dead the whole afternoon.

* * *

Turning the doorknob, Ichigo paused and held his breath before pushing the door open. When the attack he had expected did not come, he popped his head through the small opening to look for the usual suspect. Apparently, the said suspect was not there. Ichigo exhaled in relief and stepped into the house. Just as he was turning around to shut the door, he felt the sole of a size-12 boot slam into his back, pinning him to the door.

"What the f-"

"No swearing in the house, boy," came his father's stern voice, followed by an evil laughter and a foot-twist. "What's wrong now, son? You let your guard down again?" Isshin asked, ignoring the way his son was gasping for air as he struggled to break free from his father's foot plant.

 _Thud!_ "Stupid goat-chin," Ichigo heard his dark-haired sister mutter.

He proceeded to step over his father's twitching body while tugging at his rumpled shirt. "Thanks," he mumbled as he followed her to the dining area. They both ignored the oldest Kurosaki's whimpering at Masaki's poster just two seconds later.

Ichigo halted in his steps upon reaching the table when his eyes fell upon a certain white-haired boy with teal-coloured eyes. "Toushiro," he sneered.

"It's Hitsugaya- _taichou_ , Kurosaki," Hitsugaya corrected before the two Shinigami held a staring contest for a bit.

"Karin," Ichigo called, his eyes still glaring daggers at the shorter man. "What is he doing here?"

Karin lowered her head to hide her blush as she placed the rice bowls on the table. Before she could think of a reasonable reply, a long and heavy arm rested over Ichigo's shoulders.

"Toushiro- _kun_ is here to have dinner with his former _taichou_ , my boy," Isshin explained.

Ichigo shrugged off his father's arm. "It'd better be just _that_ and nothing to do with my kid sister," he said, pulling out a chair to take his seat.

Hitsugaya was about to retort when Karin sat down next to him and gave his thigh a squeeze under the table.

Despite the obvious tension between the captain of the 10th Division and the Shinigami _daiko_ , dinner went about with Isshin cracking jokes that only he alone thought were funny. Yuzu made cheerful comments in the hope of lightening up the mood while her twin gave her an appreciative smile or two whenever she succeeded.

After the dinner, Isshin shoved his son out to the patio to have a 'father-son bonding time', much to the latter's annoyance. As they both sat down at the table where Isshin called his 'smoking zone', the elder guy took out a stick of cigarette and began mindlessly tapping the bud on the surface of the table.

"Don't you usually pack your cigarettes before taking them out?" Ichigo asked, getting rather irritated with the repetitious sound.

Isshin stopped tapping before placing the stick between his lips, not making any attempts to light it yet. "You're easily agitated, son. It's a miracle Rukia- _chan_ can stand you, let alone make a home with you," he commented with a smirk.

"We're not making a home…" Ichigo argued.

"Yet," Isshin cut in, shutting his son up. "Is it official _yet_?"

Ichigo furrowed his brows. "What's official?"

The former _taichou_ chuckled as he dug into his pocket for a lighter. "Ichigo, you need to do something about Rukia- _chan_. And you have to do it soon. Otherwise, you may have to crash into Soul Society again to stop a wedding ceremony. That will definitely embarrass the Kuchiki clan and you will lose even more points with Byakuya- _kun_."

When Ichigo remained quiet, his father continued, "Or is it because you have so much confidence that Rukia- _chan_ will not choose someone else over you that you're taking your sweet time?"

"She knows how I feel about her," Ichigo replied.

"Just by the way you kissed her that night?" Isshin snorted.

"How did you-?"

The goateed man gave out another laugh. "I bet even Grimmjow got the news in Hueco Mundo. That hollow attack was no joke. You need to learn how to control your…"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. But anyway, back to the topic. She knows how I feel. Now, the ball is on her side of the court. I'm not going to force her into a relationship with me, neither am I going to stop her from marrying someone else," Ichigo explained. He did not feel comfortable about having this conversation with his father, of all people.

"Then why did you fight Yoruichi- _san_ to get her to open the _senkaimon_?" his father asked, finally lighting his cigarette and taking a long puff of it.

"Because," the orange-haired young man began, knitting his brows to think of an answer. "Because I wanted to make sure she really wanted to marry this guy instead of being forced into something to please the nobles."

Isshin turned around to study his grown-up son, exhaling a ring of smoke in his face to further irritate him. "It was her first meeting with the Shihouin boy, Ichigo. Not even close to a wedding planning."

Waving the smoke away, Ichigo growled, "I know. It's just…" He sighed, still wondering why he was talking to his father about this. "I guess I wanted to see for myself if she would fall for the guy. Maybe I was being an idiot. I should've trusted her to make the right judgement, to make the right decision."

"You just wanted to know how you fared compared to that guy," Isshin said with a hint of tease. "You were jealous. You were afraid to lose to that guy."

Ichigo opened his mouth to retort but couldn't find the words to do so as he realised his father was probably right about that.

"Ichigo, I went back to Soul Society over that weekend for three reasons: the first one, I will reveal to you when the time is right. The second, was to speak to Toushiro- _kun_." Isshin held up his hand when Ichigo was about to make a remark about that. "And the third, was to drop hints to Byakuya- _kun_ about Rukia- _chan_ 's role in your life and in our family."

Ichigo snorted. "You're one sneaky bastard. Thanks for your effort, but I don't think that man with a stick up his ass will ever relent to letting a commoner and human like me soil his clan by dating his sister."

To this, Isshin gave his son a sly smile. "Don't be so sure about that, my boy. It's all going to change in due time."

"What do you mean?" Ichigo narrowed his eyes at his father.

Isshin smirked. "You'll see. Anyway, I've got to head inside and call it a night. I've got an early flight to Tokyo tomorrow," he said, stubbing out his cigarette in the ashtray before getting up to move towards the door.

Ichigo eyed his father suspiciously as the taller man stood in front of him before he felt a slap upside his head. "What the hell was that for, old man?" he snapped, rubbing the sore spot.

Isshin chuckled. "Just a warning to you. Do not interfere with whatever it is that's going on between Toushiro- _kun_ and your sister. I've given them my blessings and you should to," he said as he put on a serious expression. "I've never seen her so happy after your mother died, Ichigo."

The younger Kurosaki's stern face softened as he realised what his father meant. He nodded as he, too, got up and followed his father into the house.

After saying goodbye to his sisters and giving Hitsugaya a 'hurt my sister and you die' glare, Ichigo left the house. Getting into his car, he sped-dial Rukia's number.

* * *

The three girls watched in discomfort as Matsumoto made out with some random guy they just met at the bar. The guy had slipped into the booth they were sitting in and tried to talk to Rukia while the lieutenant of the 10th Division was getting more drinks. Rukia could easily tell that the guy was way too drunk by the way he reeked of alcohol and the slur in his voice. She moved as far away as possible from him, leaning closer towards Tatsuki on the red PVC seat instead.

Tatsuki was about to throttle the man when Matsumoto sashayed back to their table, immediately gaining the drunken guy's attention to her large bosom. She proceeded to make herself comfortable on his lap, practically smothering him with her natural pillows as she flirted unabashedly with him. Needless to say, the guy was counting away his lucky stars.

"Should we tell him that he is literally courting with death?" Rukia shouted over the loud music. The guy was too entranced by Matsumoto to hear her. Even if he did, he probably would've thought that it was merely a joke.

Matsumoto turned around to shush her petite friend with a finger on her smirking lips, ignoring – or enjoying, Rukia couldn't tell – the fact that her human chair was feeling her up. "I'm getting myself some from someone who wants to get some. It's a win-win situation," she giggled.

Tatsuki rolled her eyes. This was her first time going out with the strawberry-blonde. Inoue had told her stories about what a wild flirt she was but Tatsuki had never expected it to be this bad. She glanced at her two friends on either side of her quizzically. All she got was a shrug.

Feeling disgusted at the sight, Rukia decided to check her phone for messages. It was 10.30 pm. Ichigo should be home by now. She didn't think he could stand being in the same place as his father without her being there with him. She gasped when she saw the three missed-calls from her best friend. The music in the bar must've drowned out the sound of her phone that had rung only 15 minutes ago. Just then, a message came in from the same person.

Tatsuki caught the small smile on Rukia's face as she read the message. The _kendo_ instructor nudged her friend by the side. "Hey, should I even ask whom that was from?" she teased.

Rukia looked up at her tall friend and stammered, "It's Ichigo. He says he's coming over with Ishida."

Overhearing the conversation, Inoue perked up. "Oh, yes! Uryuu- _kun_ texted me earlier to ask where we were. He says they're on the way here."

Right on cue, the three girls heard a male voice saying, "What the hell is wrong with that girl?"

Rukia looked up to find her orange-haired partner and Ishida staring at Matsumoto in disgust. She winced. "Ignore them. We were just about to leave, actually. Tatsuki and I have still got another day at the gym tomorrow."

"Yeah," Tatsuki continued for her. "Before that thing stumbled into our booth to hit on Rukia."

Ichigo's eyes widened at that. His head snapped towards the man whose face was being sucked off by Matsumoto.

Rukia threw a crumpled serviette at him to get his attention. "He's drunk and he has Rangiku now. Leave him alone," she said with a firm voice.

Ishida scoffed behind Ichigo before slapping a hand on his shoulder. "Overprotective boyfriend, are we?" he whispered, earning an elbow to his bony gut. "I'm taking Orihime- _san_ home," he announced to the rest, not even wincing at the pain. "No point in staying for a drink since you were about to leave, anyway."

Inoue, who had been keeping quiet all along, got up to stand by Ishida's side. "Oh, can we give Tatsuki- _san_ a lift too?" she asked. Of course, Ishida nodded to that. There was possibly nothing in this world that he wouldn't do for her, it seemed.

Ichigo smirked as he put up a pinky in front of Ishida, silently telling him that Inoue had the Quincy prince totally wrapped around her finger. Ishida glared at him before giving him a punch on his shoulder when he saw that Inoue wasn't looking. His cautious actions made Ichigo laugh out loud, breaking Matsumoto away from her temporary _beau_.

"Ichigo- _kun_!" she exclaimed and attempted to ditch the other guy to give Ichigo a hug.

Ichigo dodged her approach even though he could see that she was being held tightly by the drunken guy. Rukia snickered as she gathered her purse, getting up together with Tatsuki, who also had an amused look on her face. Ichigo glared at the two ebony-haired girls. Tatsuki shrugged and ruffled Ichigo's hair to bid him farewell before waving at Rukia.

Suddenly remembering something, Matsumoto turned around to face Ichigo again, causing him to stumble back and almost knocking over Ishida and Orihime. The Quincy grunted in annoyance as he quickly led the two girls out of the bar.

"Ichigo- _kun_ , is my little _taichou_ still at your place?" Matsumoto asked with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Ichigo scowled at the reminder of that small captain, now dating his sister. "Yes, he is. I'll tell him to come and get you." He glared once again at Rukia who was trying hard to contain her laughter. The girl really gets a kick out of anything that annoys him.

Matsumoto nodded vigorously with a silly grin before returning to entertain the weird dude.

Ichigo couldn't tell if she was really drunk or just pretending. Stretching an arm out, he tilted his head at the entrance to tell Rukia it was time to go. The petite girl moved over to his side and he instinctively wrapped his arm around her waist, leading her out of the bar towards his car. "She's going to be okay here, right?" he whispered into her ear.

Rukia nodded, refusing to give heed to the shiver down her spine. "Yeah, she will probably just give him a fright when she leaves her _gigai_ behind later."

Ichigo chuckled. "That can't be good. The poor guy will get arrested for killing a hooker."

Rukia slapped his hard abs with the back of her hand. "She's not a hooker. And besides, Urahara will modify the memories of the patrons when he comes over to collect the _gigai_."

As they got into the car, Ichigo took out his mobile phone to give Karin a call, telling her that Matsumoto might need Hitsugaya to pick her up. As she conveyed his message to her newly-approved boyfriend, who was undoubtedly next to her, Ichigo heard an irritated grunt from the _taichou_. He scoffed before hanging up. Hitsugaya should've known better than to let his lieutenant come with him to the World of the Living. That woman had always been trouble wherever she was outside Soul Society.

On the drive back to the apartment, Rukia filled him in on her climbing course and the progress of Tatsuki's relationship with Renji. The man smirked knowingly as he kept his eyes on the road. Thank _kami_ for Renji. Ichigo was beginning to think that his childhood friend was asexual before the redhead came along.

"How was dinner?" Rukia asked. "Did you get to spend some time with your sisters?"

Ichigo shook his head. "Not really. After dinner, Karin and Toushiro were practically glued together. Yuzu was busy as always, washing and cleaning."

"Oh," the Kuchiki princess flinched. "I should've been there to help her out."

Ichigo shrugged. "You know she probably wouldn't let you lift a finger when you're there."

"Yeah, but still…" she trailed off. "Did you spend some time with your dad, then?" she asked, almost teasingly.

Ichigo kept quiet as he thought about his conversation with his father at the patio. "Yeah, the old man and I had a talk."

"Really?" Rukia perked up as she loosened her seatbelt to turn to face the driver's side. It was a very rare occasion for Ichigo to 'have a talk' with his eccentric father. They just did not have that kind of relationship even though Isshin did train Ichigo before his fight with Aizen. "What did you guys talk about?" she asked, grinning curiously.

Ichigo glanced at her a few times, amused by how nosy she could get sometimes. "Just…" he gulped. "You know, father and son talk." No way was he going to tell her that she was the topic of discussion.

Rukia huffed and shifted back to her original position, pretending to be pissed off at him. Inwardly, though, she was quite pleased that the two Kurosakis had had some bonding time. Ichigo chuckled at her childish behaviour as he parked the car in the basement.

When they got out of the car, Ichigo reached behind him to grab Rukia's hand while they walked up to their apartment. He tried to act as nonchalant about it as possible with his other hand stuffed into his pocket. She, too, pretended that it was a normal thing that happened between the two of them. Who were they kidding, though? The gesture was quite alien and at the same time, exhilarating, as they were still unsure about where their relationship stood.

Ichigo unlocked the door to their apartment before releasing her hand to let her enter their home. He followed shortly, shutting the door with his foot and taking off his shoes at the _genkan_.

"Rukia," he called out to her as she headed to her bedroom. She turned around only to discover that he was less than a foot away from her. He put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her in for a kiss on her forehead. "Good night," he whispered before disappearing into his own bedroom.

The small girl entered her room and leaned back on her door as she shut it. _What are we, now?_ she asked herself. Snapping out of it, she decided that it was best they discussed that after his finals. She didn't want to be a distraction to him while he was cramming for his exams.

* * *

 **A rather lengthy chapter, this one. Many thanks to all my readers and reviewers!**

 **To all the guest reviewers, sorry I'm not able to address each of you personally. But be assured of my gratitude, nonetheless. As for the IshiHime side of the story, I'm letting their relationship progress slowly as she is still trying to get over Ichigo. I don't think it's wise for Orihime to immediately develop feelings for Uryuu because then, it will become a rebound kind of thing and it won't be fair on Uryuu.**

 **sw8Rukia: I wonder, too, about what would've happened if Rukia did not break into Ichigo's room. But then again, we all know Bleach wouldn't have existed. Lol! Maybe I will write something along that line. Or you could, too. :D**

 **NieveDrop: You! Haha… we both seem to share the same opinion on quite a few things. And I always appreciate your comments. Tatsuki and Rukia are alike in so many ways. I guess that's the reason why Ichigo finds it so easy and comfortable to relate to Rukia. He grew up with someone like that. As for Orihime, she's like a kid sister to Tatsuki who feels the need to protect her and be there for her because the blonde was orphaned and later on left behind by her brother. Looking forward to your comments on this chapter.**

 **Keira14: Yes, they are. Those damn hollows! Anyway, I'm waiting for your updates on** ** _Arrange to be mine, only mine_** **! That is one intriguing fic.**

 **sanaa11: Thanks for your encouraging comments!**

 **A little advertisement… Here are some nice Bleach fanfictions that you might all want to follow, if you haven't already:**

 **Demons of the Sun and Moon by Gunner Palace**

 **One Last Chance by sw8Rukia**

 **Lavender & Orange by CRed1988 (this one is – surprise, surprise – an IchiHisa fic. Trust me, it's worth a read.)**

 **A High-Backed Seat by Philip Harkin**

 **Shall We Dance? by sarabethloves**

 **Soul Society Magazine by iheartkiwi**

 **Arranged To Be Mine, Only Mine by Keira14**

 **Anyway, thanks again for reading and reviewing, favouriting and following. The writer is nothing without their readers. Cheers!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Not to be used loosely**

 **Chapter 15**

 **A/N: I do not own Bleach and its characters.**

 _"Every glamorous sunrise, throws the planets out of line,_

 _A star sign out of whack, a fraudulent zodiac,_

 _And the God of Wine is crouched down in my room,_

 _You let me down, I said it,_

 _Now I'm going down, and you're not even around_

 _And I said 'no'…"_

Rukia flattened her ear against the door of their apartment as she listened to Ichigo's voice singing _'God of Wine'_ by _Third Eye Blind_. She had not heard him jam since he got the internship job at Ishida's hospital. It was something she used to love watching him do. He's like a totally different person when he's behind his guitar.

She loved how the fingers of his left hand would glide so easily across the fret board while the other fingers seemed to dance over the strings to produce such beautiful music. It's completely different from his usual firm, powerful, magnificent, and sometimes even brash movement with the _zanpakutou_. It amazes her just how one man can be on the opposite ends of the scale of extremities in the same lifetime.

The petite girl entered the house quietly only to find that Ichigo couldn't hear her anyway. What was once their spacious living room was now 'littered' with _Orange_ amplifiers, a pedalboard of guitar effects, a laptop, and multiple cables connecting all the equipment. Sitting right in the centre of it all was the musician himself, his hair blending in with his amplifiers, a pair of headphones secured on his head and a black _Fender Telecaster_ on his lap as he played the mini guitar solo in the song.

Rukia continued to watch him from behind as she took off her shoes before slipping into the couch. It's not every day that she got to watch him relax like that. He must've had his last paper this morning.

When he started singing again, she found herself mesmerised by the tone of his voice. She knew that if she hadn't already fallen in love with the guy in person, she would probably fall in love with his voice now.

 _Wait, what?_ she asked herself as a tiny snicker began in her head.

 _"And there's a memory of a window_

 _Looking through, I see you_

 _Searching for something I could never give you_

 _And there's someone who understands you more than I do_

 _A sadness I can't erase, all alone on your face"_

As he finally reached the end of the song, he bent down to press the spacebar on his laptop to stop his _iTunes_. Lowering his earphones, he turned around with a raised brow. "What were you doing sneaking up on me like that?" he asked.

Rukia's eyes widened as she felt something fluttering in her stomach at the sight of Ichigo's facial expression. _Dammit! Does he have to look so deadly gorgeous?_ she thought before mentally slapping herself for being so easily rattled by him. _This is Ichigo, for_ kami _'s sake!_ Deep within her mind, she could hear Shirayuki laughing out loud. _Shut up!_

"Sorry, but did you think I wouldn't know you were behind me?" he scoffed as he got up to start unplugging all the cables and coiling them up.

 _Did I just say that out loud? I hope it was just 'shut up' and nothing else before that_ , Rukia chided herself. "How did you know I was here?" she demanded, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Err… your spiritual pressure?" Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"But you're lousy at sensing spiritual pressures," she argued.

"Do you have any idea how loud your _reiatsu_ resonates when you're around?" Ichigo poked her on her forehead.

Rukia tilted her head in confusion. "How is it even possible that you can feel it like that when you can't recognise other people's _reiatsu_?"

Her orange-haired best friend shrugged as a corner of his lips lifted a bit. "Maybe because I'm attuned to its signature since it used to reside in me for a while."

"Hah…" was all Rukia could say before she inwardly asked Shirayuki if what Ichigo said made any sense. _'I don't know. Maybe?'_ "That's kind of creepy," she commented.

Ichigo glanced at her as he put away all his equipment, stacking his amplifiers in the corner of the room. "Yeah? It's not like I can read your mind, you know? But at least I know where to find you when you get lost somewhere in the World of Chappy."

"I don't get lost in the World of Chappy!" she grumbled, unknowingly letting a pout show on her face as she looked up at Ichigo who had returned to stand before her.

He chuckled and pinched her cheek. She tried to slap his hand away but was taken aback when he cupped her cheek with one hand and leaned his face down towards hers. The two stayed like that, looking into each other's eyes before he sighed and pecked her on the nose. "Want to do something crazy today?" he asked, taking a seat beside her on the couch.

Rukia blinked a couple of times before snapping out from her stupor. "What?"

"Basketball," he replied as he stretched his arms and legs.

"Just the two of us? That's not fair on me. You're so freakishly tall," she said, turning around to face him with one leg folded under the other.

Ichigo smirked. "Fine, you go and round up a team of girls while I call the boys."

"Full team?"

"Sure."

Rukia returned his smirk as she walked into her room while digging into her back pocket for her phone.

The first person she called was, of course, Tatsuki. The girl suggested including Inoue on their team. At first, Rukia wasn't so sure about it but Tatsuki reminded her that Ichigo would definitely call Ishida to make the fifth person in his team even before he knew who the second, third, and fourth men were going to be. There's always more to their bonding than they both cared to admit. _"And we all know how Ishida is all fumbles like Hime when it comes to sports,"_ Tatsuki had said.

Karin was the next person Rukia called. The younger girl sighed, _"I know about the game. My brother just called me to ask if Toushiro was around."_

"Is he here?" the little Shinigami asked.

 _"Yeah, and there goes our time together for this week. We just played football this morning with my team. You know how Toushiro is always up for any competition. And being here is the only time he could play any sport,"_ Karin replied. Rukia could practically see her rolling her eyes over the phone. _"Another bad news, though."_

"What's that?" Rukia gripped her phone tightly, wondering what could be worse than having Ichigo, Hitsugaya, and most certainly the giant Chad on the same team.

 _"Rangiku is also here and she overheard the conversation. So, she insists on helping us girls. I was just trying to tell her how she would break a nail during the game when you called."_

Rukia groaned, "We're doomed. I was about to call Kunieda. But I guess the three of us just have to work harder. And with my height…"

 _"Think Mugsy Bogues, Rukia-_ nee _,"_ Karin tried to encourage her.

"Karin, I'm half a foot shorter than Mugsy Bogues," Ichigo's midget pointed out.

 _"Oh…"_

* * *

To Rukia's relief and Ichigo's chagrin, Renji was on a mission in Rukongai so Keigo was the next only available option. It didn't set them back by much because there was still Chad. Having said that, even though Keigo understood and had played the game more than Renji had, the perverted brunette would definitely not be able to focus much with the presence of Inoue and Matsumoto. In the end, it was more of a three-on-three – Ichigo, Chad, and Hitsugaya against Rukia, Tatsuki, and Karin.

Throughout the game, Keigo was just as they had expected – losing the ball a few times to Matsumoto whenever she bent over to block him with her _assets_ and literally handing over the ball to Inoue when she smiled at him. Ishida, on the other hand, kept tripping over his own feet and shooting into the wrong basket without his glasses on, giving extra points to the girls.

Just like Ishida, Inoue also fell a few times, scrapping her knees in the process and causing the game to go on a timeout as the Quincy fussed over her injuries. The rest of the players stood staring at the two as the embarrassed girl assured Ishida it was all right. Matsumoto, of course, did not have to do much except blocking. It worked especially well on Ichigo because he was still as prudent as the first time Yoruichi flashed herself at him. The minute Matsumoto bent down in front of him, he just gave up and turned around as he tossed the ball over his shoulder disregarding where it landed.

Despite the odd game play, both teams reached 86 points before 6pm and Ichigo decided the next team that scored would win the game. Needless to say, the game got even more intense the next 10 minutes with everyone putting all their effort to win that last points for their team.

Tatsuki was dribbling on the spot before the three-point line, pretty confident that she could get the ball in – over the rim, even – if not for the fact that Chad was in a semi-crouching position in front of her. With this 6.5 footer obstructing her, it felt like she was going up against Shaquille O'Neal. She might as well have been standing at Rukia's height.

And speaking of the shortest player, the small person was just a couple of feet to her right. If she could only pass the ball between Chad's crazy long arm and his bent knee to Rukia… Making a quick eye contact with her climbing partner, Tatsuki made the attempt after Rukia nodded in understanding. The taller girl grinned at the success but quickly started to worry again when she saw whom it was that was impeding Rukia's shot at the basket.

The game seemed to have gotten more interesting as everyone watched Ichigo smirking at Rukia while towering over her. No one even bothered to assist anymore because they knew it was either Rukia making that game point or they had a tie. Everyone was just too tired and hungry to continue playing.

Rukia scowled at her roommate as he challenged her with that smartass expression on his face. She studied his position in front of her, all the while controlling the bouncing ball under her right hand. An idea came to her as she glanced at his bent knees and broad shoulders. Even in that pose, Ichigo was still at least one foot taller than her… and she was going to use him to her advantage.

"You're _so_ freakishly tall, Berry," she repeated what she had said to him back at home earlier, returning his smirk and wiping it off his face in the process. Nothing could've prepared Ichigo for what she did next. Stepping on his upper thigh for leverage, Rukia held his shoulder for support with her free hand while scooping the ball up with the other. Instinctively, Ichigo grabbed her hips to keep her from falling – something she already knew he would do. Without so much effort as a flick of her wrist, Rukia managed to get the ball into the basket, bagging the winning point for the girls.

Ichigo gaped as he looked up at her, ignoring the cheers that resounded around the two of them. Even his own team members were applauding and hooting at Rukia's trick as they walked away from the court. He wasn't sure if he was more surprised or impressed by what she did.

The midget was laughing at him as she placed her other hand on his shoulder to push herself off him when she realised that he still had a firm grip on her hips. "Ichigo, let me down," she chuckled.

"No," he said in a low voice as he encircled both arms around her hips. "You tricked me."

Rukia huffed as she tried again to push him away. "Oh, c'mon! You fell for it so it was your fault."

"Sneaky little midget," he said, nuzzling his face into her flat abs and earning a squeal from the ticklish girl.

"Ichigo!" she giggled as she tugged at his orange hair. "Stop it right now and let me down."

He lowered her to the ground but kept his arms around her. "Rukia," he whispered, their noses touching.

Rukia realised she had her hands joined behind his neck. Her heart was pounding really fast as she knew what Ichigo was about to do. Her eyes fluttered close when she felt his lips touched hers. Instead of deepening the kiss, all he did was peck her succulent lips a few times before chuckling at the hint of disappointment on her face. Obviously, she was expecting more but from the corner of his eyes, he could see that the rest of their friends (and his sister) were enjoying the show a little too much.

"We'll continue this later, brat," he said, pinching her nose. She seemed to get the message by how he kept glancing back and forth between her and their little audience.

Rukia punched him in the gut as she removed herself from him to get the ball. "Who are you calling 'brat', _brat_?"

Ichigo grabbed her hand as they walked towards where their friends were sitting and waiting for them.

She looked up at him and he took it to mean she had something important to say with that suddenly serious expression of hers so he stopped walking. "Ichigo, we need to talk," she said, absentmindedly biting her lower lip.

Ichigo raised his hand to her face to stroke her cheek with his thumb. "Yeah. We'll do that over dinner later."

Rukia nodded with a small smile, giving his hand a squeeze as they continued walking.

* * *

 **Took me a few days to finish this as I was caught up with what life was throwing at me. I took a flight to another part of my state and drove back to my hometown the next day in the awesome new** ** _Triton_** **. Couldn't sleep the night before the drive as this chapter was running through my head the whole night and I didn't have my trusty Mac with me.**

 **Thank you all for your reviews! My apologies for not having the time to reply to your comments and private messages. I'll get to that in a bit, I assure you.**

 **I chose the song** ** _'God of Wine'_** **because I can totally imagine Ichigo singing it and playing the lead. The lyrics have nothing to do with anything.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Not to be used loosely**

 **Chapter 16**

 **A/N: I do not own Bleach and its characters.**

Four Shinigami men in their captain's _haori_ were seated around a table, drinking tea in the First Division office. They claimed to be catching up on old times, but what they were really doing was discussing the future of two powerful Shinigami, one of whom was present. The other Shinigami, however, remained clueless in the World of the Living.

"Are you serious about delaying this?" the one with the long beard asked.

Taking a puff of his cigarette, the dark-haired captain appeared thoughtful even though he was already very certain about his answer. "I cannot leave them until they are at least 21. In fact, my initial plan was to come back only after they are both married."

"You do know that the Soul King is not a very patient person, right?" asked the one with the long white hair, coughing a little.

The dark-haired captain winced and stubbed out his cigarette. "Sorry, Juushiro," he said, waving away the rest of the smoke in the air. "I don't care about that, though. He's supposed to keep the throne a lot longer than this. That's the reason why I was taking my time."

" _Yare yare_ ," began the captain with the straw hat. "You have no respect for your elders, Isshin."

Isshin scoffed. "He needs to respect me, too. My kids are still young. If he wants to step down so badly, he should let one of my siblings take over."

"You know it doesn't work that way. You're next in line by default because you're the eldest son," the captain commander croaked. "And besides, none of your siblings are willing to take the throne."

Isshin rolled his eyes. "Yeah, they're just too damn lazy. If I were to die in battle, they would have no other options but to take it."

Yamamoto grunted in agreement. "But you're still alive, indestructible even. As the Soul King's eldest son, your obligation to the universe is to continue his reign. Even more so because you have your own heir."

The former 10th Division captain sighed. "I tried to prolong that from happening…"

"But you married Masaki- _san_ and you had Ichigo- _kun_ ," Ukitake cut in.

"Yeah," Isshin nodded. "I don't regret marrying my beautiful wife or having that idiot son of mine. I just wish that stupid old man never found out."

" _Stupid old man_?" Kyouraku repeated, shaking his head. "No wonder your son calls you the same thing. Like father, like son."

Yamamoto placed his teacup on the table after taking a sip of it. "You're the one who's stupid to think you could hide from your own father like that. He's the Soul King. He sees everything. He's most certainly listening in on how you're insulting him right now."

Isshin smirked. "Good. I need him to know how I feel about him."

"Isshin- _sama_ ," Ukitake addressed, a curious look on his face. "What happened between you and your father to make you despise being his son so much?"

Isshin pursed his lips as he recalled how his relationship with the Soul King strained since his father sat on that damn throne. His grandfather, Shiba Hideyoshi Ichirou was killed during a battle with a Quincy who wanted to rule the whole of the universe. But Shiba Katsuo, the next in line as the head of the Shiba clan, managed to avenge his father's death and ascended the throne as the Soul King. Isshin was just a boy, then. If not for the premature death of the first Soul King, Katsuo would not have been allowed to take the throne because Isshin was not betrothed yet. It was part of the requirement that the heir of the Soul King must be married, thus promising to produce his own heir to the throne as well.

Before the death of his grandfather, Isshin had a very strong bond with his father. But Katsuo immediately felt pressured to train Isshin to behave as a noble prince when he was forced to take over as the Soul King. The young boy took his strict training seriously in the first hundred years, most of the time, to please his father.

However, the father and son relationship started to become more and more strenuous every time Isshin refused to marry a woman his father introduced him to. He insisted that he would look for his own bride and would only marry the woman he loved. For the next three hundred years, the stubborn prince rebelled against his father, taking up the role of a Shinigami captain even though he wasn't supposed to put his life in any danger.

When he met Kurosaki Masaki and fell in love with her, he did not hesitate to sacrifice his Shinigami powers to save her when he needed to. He knew his father would not be pleased about it. So he kept his life as a human in the World of the Living a secret and took up his wife's surname when he married her.

Of course, Shiba Katsuo knew about it. Who could hide from the Soul King? He knew his own son's stubbornness well enough. He also knew he wouldn't be able to persuade him to return to Soul Society anytime soon. He decided to just let him be and hoped that some day Isshin would respond to his calling as the next Soul King.

When Ichigo was born, the King sent a message to his son to tell him to return with the promise of a good home for his human family in the Soul Palace. Isshin refused. He wanted his children to grow up and experience the ordinary human life, which he himself never had.

However, after what happened to Masaki, he realised that he could not protect his children from the threats of the world since he couldn't even prevent his wife's death. It was then that he started training again to try to get back his Shinigami powers. For many years, he failed to have any contact with his old _zanpakutou_ spirit. But it came back when he desperately needed it to train Ichigo to fight Aizen. Not much, but good enough to help his son.

"So, what now, Isshin?" Yamamoto asked. The three Shinigami currently having tea with him were his favourite students in the Shino Academy. He was also the one whom the Soul King commissioned with the task to keep his son in line because apparently, Isshin would listen to the s _outaichou_ but not his own father.

The usually lively man picked up his teacup to finish his tea in silence before taking a glance at each of his former comrades. "I have no choice but to take over if the old man insists. But I will not allow him to rush this handover business. It will take a few years and I _will_ take my time."

Kyouraku chuckled. "It looks like you have the upper hand over the Soul King himself. You might as well get your ass on that chair."

"You do realise that Ichigo- _kun_ is required to be married before you are sworn in, don't you, Isshin- _sama_?" Ukitake reminded.

Isshin smirked. "That's the least of my worries, Juushiro. I believe he has already found the love of his life."

* * *

Rukia came out of the shower to find Ichigo texting away with furrowed eyebrows. "What did the phone do to you?" she asked, drying her hair with a towel.

Without looking up, the substitute Shinigami mumbled something about Chad. Rukia shrugged as she headed to the kitchen, intending to prepare dinner when Ichigo called out to her. "We're going out," he said, his voice held a bit of disappointment.

"Oh?"

"One of our old band mates is in town and he wants us to meet up tonight at a bar before he leaves Karakura tomorrow," Ichigo explained.

Rukia walked slowly back towards him. "You had a band?"

Ichigo averted her gaze as he replied, "Yeah, it was just one of those things Chad got me involved in to keep me occupied. You know, during those seventeen months."

The petite girl's expression softened when she realised what he was talking about. It was a painful experience for the both of them when he lost his powers. She remembered how she had also engaged herself in several missions to keep herself occupied so she wouldn't have the urge to come back to the World of the Living to find out how he was doing. She knew he was grieving. Renji had tried to tell her as much whenever he got back to Soul Society from a task in the material world. She had fought really hard not to care, unknowingly putting herself in a depression, which was obvious to everyone, including her brother.

"I see," she nodded, not wanting to dwell on the past. "So, where is this bar?"

"It's just around the corner from here. We could just walk there. They serve pastas and pizzas so we can have our dinner there," he answered, getting up to get changed.

Ichigo would've rejected Chad's invitation but if Rukia had found out about it – and she had her way of knowing these things – she would've insisted that Ichigo did not miss out on meeting up with an old friend. They would probably argue back and forth, and she would've won anyhow because she always won an argument. The last thing Ichigo wanted was an unnecessary squabble with her tonight because they were supposed to have 'the talk'. His only hope now was that they would have that opportunity at their dinner in a bar that played rock music.

When the two arrived twenty minutes later, they discovered that neither Chad nor the other friend was there yet. After ordering their food and drinks, Ichigo inwardly hoped that no one would bother them for a while. Bracing himself for whatever it was that Rukia wanted to talk about, he asked, "You want to start first?"

Rukia nodded as she took a deep breath to compose herself before she began. "Ichigo, this… _thing_ we're having," she said, motioning between them with her hand. "As much I want it, you know we've got some issues to deal with, right?"

"You mean with your brother and the elders?" Ichigo asked.

She nodded again, this time biting her lower lip.

He glanced away from her for a bit before facing her again. "Yeah, but you know there's nothing they can do to stop me from getting what I want, _right_?" he smirked.

Rukia narrowed her eyes at his smugness. "What makes you so sure that you will get what you want this time?" she asked, remembering how determined he was when he fought her brother at the Sokyoku Hill so many years ago.

Instead of answering her, he threw her his own question, "What's this 'thing' you said we're having, Rukia?"

"Something, I don't know… that makes us more than friends?"

Ichigo scoffed as he took one of her hands in his. "We've always been more than friends, Midget. I cared about you even before I realised my feelings for you. That was the reason why I went to stop your execution. That was the reason why I almost died, too, when I couldn't feel your _reiatsu_ after Ulquiorra told me you had died in Hueco Mundo. That was the reason why my life was worse than hell when I had no idea how they were treating you back in Soul Society those seventeen months when I could not protect you," he choked at the memory of the anguish and fear that he did not want to feel ever again.

Rukia turned the hand he was holding to intertwine their fingers. "Ichigo…"

He placed a kiss on the back of that hand before she could continue. "I don't think I could ever lose you again, Rukia. I realised that when you went back the other day to meet that Shihouin dude. I don't think I could ever stand knowing you're married to some ass who will never be able to protect you the way I can. I know I'm being selfish, and probably even arrogant about this but I will do anything to defy your brother, your clan, and all of Gotei 13 if I have to, to make you mine."

To say that Rukia was shocked at his declaration would be an understatement. However, she quickly recovered and punched him in the chest. "You're so full of yourself, Kurosaki Ichigo!"

The orange-haired chuckled. "Hey, whatever it takes to court the Kuchiki princess, right?" He rubbed the back of her hand on the spot she punched.

Pulling her hand away, Rukia crossed her arms in front of her. "And what makes you think I would defy them to be with you?"

"Oh, c'mon, Midget," he snorted. "You left Soul Society to be with me. I don't think we need more proof than that."

The waiter came to their table at that point to serve them their dishes, bowing and apologising for interrupting their conversation. Rukia smiled sweetly at him and told him that it was okay while her partner scowled at him.

When the nervous guy had left, Ichigo leaned his elbows on the table and fixed his gaze on the object of his affection. "Just admit it, Rukia, you want this work as much as I do. And I assure you, I will stop at nothing to make it work."

Rukia opened her mouth to retort but found that she didn't know how to do it. It was true that she wanted to be with Ichigo. She had dreamt of having a future with him but before all that could happen, they would have to at least get the approval of her brother.

Guessing what was on her mind, Ichigo sighed. "I will even try to get on the good side of Byakuya if I have to, all right?"

At that, the noble heiress smirked, " _Nii-sama_ is so going to enjoy this."

Ichigo scowled. "I'm just saying. Definitely, my last resort. I'd much rather win you over in a fight than become someone I'm not, just to please that stuck up bastard."

Before Rukia could hit him in the head, Chad approached them with a guy who had tattoos all over his arms. Mr Tattoo eyed Rukia appreciatively, an image of Hisagi Shuuhei crossed her mind at that.

"Yo, Ichigo!" he greeted, bringing up his hand for a fist-bump while ogling at the girl. "Who's the pretty lady over here?"

Ichigo narrowed his amber eyes at his old friend, not bothering with the hand gesture. "She's my girlfriend. Bug off…"

* * *

 **I just felt I had to put up another chapter when the reviews hit the 100 mark. Thank you all so much for your unfailing support for this fic. There's more to come and no, I have not forgotten that I have to reply to your previous reviews and private messages. I promise you will get my personal replies within the next couple of days. To all the guest reviewers, however, I'll respond to your comments in the next chapter.**

 **Yeah, I know I placed three original characters here even though I've never wanted to unless the story was an AU. But I had to make up something for Isshin's background. And the third guy, well… it was just an instrumental character for the last bit.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Not to be used loosely**

 **Chapter 17**

 **A/N: I do not own Bleach and its characters.**

 _My end_

 _It justifies my means_

 _All I ever do is delay_

 _My every attempt to evade_

 _The end of the road and my end_

 _It justifies my means_

 _All I ever do is delay_

 _My every attempt to evade_

 _The end of the road!_

The crowd erupted into a screaming fit as they joined the orange-haired vocalist in the bridge to _Slipknot's 'Before I forget'_ and carried on to back him up with the chorus until the song ended. Rukia had never seen a houseful of people going so wild over music before. Well, there's a first to everything and she couldn't help but felt a sense of pride that it was her _best friend slash partner slash newly-declared boyfriend_ up there affecting all these people around her.

 _I am a world before I am a man_

 _I was a creature before I could stand_

 _I will remember before I forget_

 _Before I forget that!_

Ichigo's throat hadn't felt so burned and raw in years. It was the first time he had screamed after such a long time. A smirk appeared on his face as he descended the stage together with Chad and his other former band mate, Mizushima Takumi. The crowd went wild, hooting at and cheering the three young men as they walked towards the table Rukia was sitting at.

The owner of the bar who recognised them (because of the berry's bright head of orange) had insisted that they played at least one of their most popular covers. Since there were only three of them and the stage only had a simple acoustic set up, they decided that Chad would play the cajón, Mizushima would play the acoustic guitar while Ichigo played the bass. It was quite a challenge for him, as he only had to focus on the vocals the last time they did this song.

Rukia's smile seemed to have plastered onto her face as she watched Ichigo slump down onto his seat while reaching for the pot of hot _ocha_ to pour himself a cup. After gulping down, despite it scalding his throat, he poured another cup of the tea and took a sip. He turned to face Rukia with a look of exhaustion, causing her to let out a giggle.

"That was really cute, Rukia- _san_ ," Mizushima teased, smirking at Ichigo who narrowed his eyes into a slit at the comment. This friend of his had always been such a flirt. Mizuiro lost to him easily when it came to how persuasive and aggressive he could be to get the girl he wanted. Little did he know, Rukia was not _just a girl_.

Chad chuckled when she, too, reacted identically with her berry head but with a faint blush. "C'mon, Takumi. Let's head over to the other table and leave these two alone for a while," he said, slapping the guy on the back and causing him to lurch forward under the impact. He got up and followed the giant but not before winking suggestively at Rukia.

Ichigo grunted in annoyance when the two left, causing him to wince a little at the friction he felt within his throat. Beads of sweat were evident on his forehead from when he tortured his own vocal cords earlier. He was still trying to recover by swallowing as much as possible before he started to say anything to the princess sitting next to him.

Rukia tilted her head in amusement as she eyed the way his face contorted with every swallow. "So," she began, thinking about the lyrics to the song. "That was rather intense. _Slipknot_ , huh?" She had heard of the band but never really got to listen to their songs.

Ichigo nodded; still not ready to use his voice. He finished the remaining tea in his cup in case she wanted some answers. He knew she would want to know about it.

"Any particular reason why that was the song of choice?" she asked. While listening to it, she had deduced that it must have been something really personal for Ichigo to give his all into it.

The orange head heaved a long sigh before turning his body to face Rukia, his elbows leaned on his knees so he could be at eye level with her. She, in turn, shifted a little in her chair to give him her full attention.

"That was the song that made us the champion of the battle of the bands," he explained. "There were five of us, then and I only had to do the vocals for this piece. My band mates claimed that what really helped us win was how I actually put my heart and soul into it. My anger and frustrations truly showed when I performed that song. The judges were completely impressed with my stage presence. I also won the best vocals award. At first, I thought it was because it reminded me of my Hollow and the creature I had become because of it. But then, when I really contemplated on that, I knew my Hollow was not the worst of me. In fact, it was the very reason I got to become a full-fletched _shinigami_. And that's how I got to go to Soul Society to rescue you from death."

Rukia reached out to cover her tiny hands over his large ones, letting him know that she was still listening.

"I was more mad at the fact that I had to become Getsuga itself to activate Mugetsu during my fight with Aizen. I don't know what they told you about what happened but in truth, Mugetsu was only there in the final moments to stop Aizen from regenerating further. What truly immobilised him was Urahara's _kido_. I couldn't help thinking that my transformation was unnecessary. I should've had the confidence to end Aizen right there and then without turning into that creature and then losing my _shinigami_ powers after that; which led to losing you." Ichigo's voice was hoarse when he mentioned the word 'creature'. His fists clenched below his girlfriend's hands that were now wrapped tightly around his.

When Urahara was explaining the _kido_ to Ichigo, half of his mind was wondering away as it suddenly dawned on him that losing his powers meant that he wouldn't be able to see Rukia anymore. At that time, he didn't know if he would ever get his powers back. He wasn't mad at his dad for teaching him the technique because he knew Isshin was just trying to equip him for the worst. But he was mad at himself for not having thought it all through before taking the leap.

Rukia was such an important person in his life. It was because of her that he could save his family in the first place. She was the one who stopped the rain. She was the one who constantly kept him in line. During those seventeen months, he knew there was a raging storm in his inner world even though he wasn't there. He was at a lost and only went from day to day on autopilot. Getting him to play in the band was Chad's way of distracting him from his misery whenever the orange-haired boy was not running errands for Unagiya Ikumi or playing ball for money.

However, he managed to reconcile with himself when she came back into his life again. It was easier, then, because she was around and her presence really helped him to come to terms with the fact that the Final Getsuga Tenshou actually played a huge part in ending the war with Aizen. Since then, he knew for a fact that everything in his life would be easy, no matter how tough the situation got, as long as Rukia was right there with him and he was determined not to lose her ever again.

Ichigo took another deep breath after spilling everything out to Rukia. He looked utterly spent, both from the stage screaming and the unplanned need to reveal so much. They had never really talked about those seventeen months but they could guess as much what the other had grown through emotionally following their heartbreaking goodbyes outside the Kurosaki clinic that day. They were still very attuned to each other even after so many months of separation.

Rukia brought both her hands up to the side of Ichigo's neck, her thumbs massaging the spots below his ears before pulling him in for a lingering kiss on his forehead. He felt his eyes shut for a while, savouring the physical affection they rarely showed in public. When he finally opened his eyes, he turned his head to peck the inside of one of her wrists. Getting up from the chair, he fished into his pocket for his wallet and left a few notes on the table to pay for their dinner. Rukia's lips tilted into a small smile as she, too, stood up when he took her hand and walked out of the bar with her. He reckoned he would just text Chad later to tell him they had left.

They were just reaching their apartment when Ichigo's phone vibrated in his pocket. With his free hand, he took the phone out and groaned when he realised it was his dad. "What?" he snapped when he answered the call.

There was a chuckle at the other end of the line before Isshin said, "Sorry to bother your time with Rukia- _chan_ , son. But I need to see the two of you tomorrow." He paused. When he started speaking again, his voice was rather serious. "There's something urgent I want to discuss with the two of you."

Ichigo huffed. "What's so important that you need to talk with the two of us? Are you leaving us a will or something?"

The former captain smirked, not that his son could tell from his end. "Something like that," he drawled before turning into his lively self again. "And of course, now that the two of you are officially together, whatever is yours would be hers as well."

"How the hell did you know about us?" Ichigo practically screamed into the phone, eliciting a little snicker from Rukia who thought it was funny how easily riled up the younger Kurosaki got whenever he had a conversation with his father.

"Karin told me you were sucking each other's face off on the basketball court this evening," Isshin said, laughing loudly before he hung up.

Ichigo cursed at his sister as he shoved his phone back into his pocket. Hearing the laughter beside him, he glared down threateningly at the midget as he flicked her forehead while squeezing the hand he was holding.

* * *

 **I was struck with the worst case of writer's block for the past couple of months. I signed up for NaNoWriMo on the last week of October, all geared-up to start another story which would've eventually turned into a book worthy of being published, like what happened with my eBook Strictly Professional. However, on the last day of October, while I was furiously battling with my own morning sickness, my husband crashed his bike and broke his leg. He is recovering now but my muse has not fully returned to me yet. It took me so many days to finish just this chapter. Yes, days! And look, it's not even a very long chapter. My apologies for the late update. But even though I have not updated for so long, the reviews, follows and favourites still kept coming in. I really appreciate all of you for that. Thank you so much for continuing to read and support this fic. I will try to update as soon as I can.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Not to be used loosely**

 **Chapter 18**

 **A/N: I do not own Bleach and its characters.**

He was terribly annoyed by the strong _reiatsu_ emanating from his office but he was determined to keep his face stoic even though he was curious about the purpose of the visit. He was, after all, a Kuchiki. The mask was practically soldered onto his pretty face.

Stopping right outside the office, Byakuya composed and psyche himself not to go down to the _shinigami daiko_ 's level of immaturity. _Just keep your cool, no matter how uncouth his behaviour is. Don't let him get to you. It's too early in the morning to have him spoil your day_ , he chanted to himself before sliding the _shoji_ door open.

To his utter surprise, however, his visitor was not the brat he expected to see even though the signature of the _reiatsu_ was unmistakably similar. He managed to not let it show but inwardly cursed at his fifth seat for not informing him of whom it was when he sent the message through a _jigakucho_ earlier. _"Kuchiki-_ taichou _, you have a visitor waiting for you in your office. He refused to wait outside,_ Taichou-sama _,"_ was all the trembling voice said.

"Ah, Byakuya- _kun_!" the visitor exclaimed.

The captain of the sixth squad kept his lips in a thin straight line for a few seconds before he greeted back. "Shiba- _taichou_."

Isshin chuckled. "Don't need to be so formal, Bya- _kun_. After all, I'm no longer a captain. Just call me Isshin."

Byakuya grunted in reply and took his seat behind his table, gesturing for the older man to sit down as well. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company, Shiba- _san_?" he asked, biting his words.

The Soul Prince smirked as he smoothened the invisible wrinkles on his _shihakusho_. "I'm here to discuss the possibility of an _omiai_ between our two clans," he said, straight to the point. The Kuchiki head had suddenly reminded him of his own training before he left Soul Society. He decided that maybe, _just maybe_ , every once in a while, he might need to pull that façade back on in order to be taken seriously when it came to essential matters such as these.

Byakuya had the urge to scoff but he managed to hold it in. "Pardon me for being forthright but didn't the Shiba clan recede from their status when Shiba- _fukutaichou_ perished years ago?"

"My nephews and niece were merely there to keep the clan running because of my sudden disappearance. I was summoned by my…" he paused, clearing his throat. "elder to return to my rightful place. I'm expected to take over soon, even though I must say I am not too pleased about it as my children are still dependent on me."

The _sakura_ _zanpakutou_ wielder plainly showed his disinterest on the subject. "Shall we get back to the purpose of your visit so you may leave immediately after I've rejected your proposal? Let us not waste our time as there is no way I will allow my sister to marry that boorish son of yours."

A deliberately sarcastic laugh erupted from the future King. "How did you know I was talking about Rukia- _chan_ and Ichigo?"

This time, Byakuya narrowed his eyes at Isshin. He was getting really agitated by this meeting made without an appointment. He had a stack of paperwork by his desk and a _fukutaichou_ that seemed to keep going AWOL on him lately to worry about.

Calming himself down, Isshin slapped his hand on his lap while keeping a sly grin at Byakuya. "You're right. It is Rukia and Ichigo because I couldn't possibly be offering you the hand of my dear Karin- _chan_ to you in marriage," Isshin paused and tilted his head. "Could I?"

At this, Byakuya was taken aback. Isshin thought he even caught the look of alarm on his face for a couple of seconds. "What are you insinuating?" the Kuchiki asked through gritted teeth.

Isshin merely shrugged. "I have seen how you paid extra attention to her during her training at Urahara's whenever you dropped by to visit the World of the Living. I'm sorry to inform you that I've just given the blessing for her and my former third seat to start going out," he replied, getting up from the cushion he was sitting on.

Byakuya's eyes followed Isshin's movement, hoping the older man could not tell that he was grinding his jaw after hearing what he had said about Karin. He didn't think his secret crush on the young girl was that obvious. The fact that he no longer had a chance to court her made him even more determined not to approve of Isshin's proposal, even though he knew Rukia's feelings for the orange-haired boy was genuinely deep. He started to regret letting her stay in the World of the Living. It's not that he was opposed to Rukia finding her own happiness. He just knew the elders of the clan would not be agreeable with her choice in being involved with that brash young man.

"Byakuya- _kun_ ," Isshin called him out of his reverie. "There is something you must know about my family which I cannot reveal to the public until my elder and the so _utaichou_ see it fit for me to do so. It has to do with a higher power. And when the time comes, I don't think your opinion as a clan leader will matter anymore. I only ask that you willingly give your sister the blessing she deserves, as it would mean a lot to her. She respects you as her brother and I know she will not do anything without first seeking your consent. Having said that, I would appreciate it if you could join us for dinner tonight at my place. There's an important announcement I need to make to my family, and those who will be a part of it in the future."

The head of the Kuchiki clan watched as his visitor left his office quietly. He rose from his seat ten minutes later when he decided that he wouldn't be able to focus on his paperwork. He needed to clear his mind and prepare himself for what he had suspected to be true from the rumours that had been going around lately. So, he made his way to the only place he could find solace in the whole of Seireitei – the altar of his late wife.

* * *

Rukia's grip tightened around the hem of her denim shorts as they continued to argue in the car about Ichigo coming home late from sparring with Renji. It had always been a tradition for the Kurasaki household to have their dinner at 7.00 pm. After being a part of the family for the past eight years, Rukia was pretty used to it that way. The digital clock on the dashboard showed that they were already 15 minutes late and being trained as a Kuchiki, Rukia knew that tardiness was a mark of disrespect.

"It's just like you to be late for dinner at your dad's place," she grumbled.

"Blame it on your pineapple head friend! He's the one who insisted on going a few rounds of human body versus _gigai_. We got carried away because it was different from fighting in spirit form," Ichigo explained.

"You just couldn't care less about the time. I told you I should've gone to the clinic on my own first. I would've been able to at least help Yuzu out with the preparation," Rukia argued.

Ichigo scoffed, "What… and walk there on your own?"

"Of course! I'm not a spoilt brat like you, Berry."

The orange head rolled his eyes. "Says the Kuchiki noble heiress who had maids on their hands and knees getting everything done for her."

" _Had_! You don't see any maids in our apartment now, do you? In fact, I'm the one on my hands and knees getting everything for you," Rukia muttered that last part, crossing her arms over her chest.

Ichigo's lips tilted into a smile as he stopped at a red light. He put the gear in neutral before grabbing his petite girlfriend by the back of her neck, pulling her towards him so he could smash his lips upon hers. Rukia yelped a bit but soon felt herself drowning into the brief kiss. When he let her go, he gave her that gorgeous knee-buckling, soul-melting smile that never failed to make her heart race so fast she sometimes thought it would thump right out of her chest. She knew she was the only one who was privileged enough to see that smile. It was only for her alone. It was Kurosaki Ichigo's _Rukia smile_.

"I know you do, Midget, even though you don't have to. I'm really grateful and I love you for that," he said quietly. He averted her gaze to hide the blush on his face just in time to see the lights turn green as he put the car into gear again. Stepping on the accelerator, he mumbled something about the midget making him _say cheesy stuff like that_.

Rukia continued to steal a few glances at the side profile of this man who had grown so much over the years. It was the first time he said those three words to her and she wondered if he even realised that he had said it.

As they turned into the driveway of the Kurosaki clinic – 25 minutes late for dinner, she decided she would ask him about it later tonight when they're back in their apartment. For now, what Ichigo needed to do was brace himself for his father's attack at the door and Yuzu's complaint about the dinner getting cold. Karin wouldn't even care. She probably would've started without them, anyway.

However, before Ichigo turned the doorknob, they thought they could hear a quiet and calm conversation going on, on the other side of the door. Entering the house, the two were taken by surprise as the conversation halted and five pairs of eyes looked back at them. There at the dinner table – apart from the usual presence of the Kurosaki household, were the captains of the sixth and 10th divisions, each dressed in a dark long-sleeved button down shirt and a pair of slacks.

Ichigo felt an elbow in his gut, courtesy of his very self-consciously underdressed girlfriend before he could finish saying, "What the f…"

* * *

 **I think my muse is drunk. I can't believe I managed another chapter so soon. I hope you all enjoy this one, though. Kudos to** ** _jobananasan_** **on your guess about the** ** _omiai_** **! Haha! Thank you,** ** _NieveDrop_** **and** ** _sanaa11_** **, too, for your comments and well wishes! Also thanks to all who have read, followed and favourited! :D**


	19. Chapter 19

**Not to be used loosely**

 **Chapter 19**

 **A/N: I do not own Bleach and its characters.**

"Soul Prince," Yuzu repeated, barely a whisper.

" _Otou-san_ ," Rukia gasped, forgetting that his brother did not approve of her addressing the older Kurosaki by that.

"What the f…" Again, Ichigo never got to finish his sentence as he felt another jab of elbow at his gut.

Toushiro's eyes widened in astonishment as Byakuya tried to appear as nonchalant as possible. The two captains remained quiet. They didn't feel that it was their place to say anything. Byakuya's suspicions were true, much to his chagrin.

Four seconds. Everything remained still for exactly four seconds before Karin threw her head back and started laughing her arse off, completely disregarding the presence of the two hot captains sitting on either side of her. When she managed to catch her breath, she pointed a shaky finger at her father who was sitting across from her. "You picked the worst time to be funny, Old Man. In front of our guests, no less."

For the first time, Isshin actually had an annoyed look in front of his own children, and with that, a little bit of hurt as well. "You don't believe me, Karin." It was a statement rather than a question. The Kurosaki kids, including Rukia, did not fail to notice that he had dropped the usual suffix from the elder twin's name.

"How do you expect me to believe that you, of all people, of all the most insane people in all three worlds, could be the heir to the Soul King?" Karin furrowed her brows.

Isshin knew the issue here wasn't really about him being the Soul Prince. It had more to do with the fact that he had kept his children in the dark about his true identity for years. The twins already had a lot to deal with when they found out that their brother was not really human anymore. At the same time, they were told that their father was never even a human to begin with. Following that, it was also revealed to them that their mother had Quincy powers and they themselves might have inherited both Shinigami and Quincy abilities as well.

Having been dropped a bombshell that they belong to the royal family of the Soul King himself was just too much for them to take. To Karin, they had always been the weirdest family even when you didn't consider them being part human, part Shinigami, part Quincy, and whatever the hell else they were. They were freaks!

The thought of all that his children had gone through thus far softened Isshin's expression. He would've probably reacted in the same way as well. "Karin, I would love to _not believe_ it myself. If I could forget about my heritage, I would. Why did you think I disappeared from Soul Society? I never wanted the position. But because of this obligation to… my own father who happens to be the Soul King, I am forced to acknowledge it," he explained.

There was a brief silence again before Ichigo decided to take up his role as the eldest, more mature offspring of the Kurosaki household. "Did Mum know about this?" he asked.

Isshin nodded. Pain crossed his face as he recalled how Masaki had told him that he would have to disclose this part of his life to his children sooner or later. That was the night before she died. They had had a long chat about their children's future during their pillow talk after an hour of passion when the little ones had all gone to bed. It was after her funeral that he realised that she did not include herself when she was talking about that future. Somehow, she must've felt her fateful end just around the corner.

"So, what now? Are you expected to be handed over this _throne_ anytime soon?" Ichigo emphasised on the big word.

Once again, Isshin nodded. "Yes. But I'm trying to delay this. At least, until the twins have graduated or when you have finished your paediatric medical studies," he replied, his eyes darting to the faces of each of his children. "I don't think I'll be able to wait until you're done with your other major, though."

Byakuya already looked genuinely surprised to hear that Ichigo was advancing with his studies. At the mention of his _other major_ , the sixth squad captain had his brows raised up almost to his hairline. He didn't expect the oafish boy to be capable of being serious about his future.

The orange-haired student doctor had planned on taking up child psychiatry to add on to his specialty. All these he had discussed with his father who was more than willing to back him up.

"That's two years," Ichigo said quietly, ignoring the surprised look Byakuya gave him.

Isshin heaved a sigh. "When you were born, he wanted the three of us to live with him at the Soul Palace. I refused. Even after your mother died, he asked me again to move all of you to the Palace so we could be protected. I was afraid you were all too young to leave the World of the Living – the place you know so well, where you grew up with your mother. It would take a lot for you to adapt if I moved you then, especially because we were still mourning. I think I've put him on hold long enough. Another two years is all I can do."

Yuzu cleared her throat and spoke up timidly beside him, "Daddy, are we moving with you then, when you take over?"

The Soul Prince placed a hand on the head of his blonde daughter. "I would love for you to stay with me. But it's really up to you. If you're going to have a family here, I'd rather you stayed and lived a normal human life. I will be watching over you. In fact, as the King, I should be able to visit as often as I want." He then turned his attention back to Ichigo. "There _is_ a condition, however," he smirked.

Both Ichigo and Karin narrowed their eyes. Their father's smirk was never a good thing. All of a sudden he seemed to be going back to his old self.

Isshin glanced menacingly at Rukia who looked back at him with curiosity, and then at Byakuya. "Ichigo needs to be betrothed before I am sworn in. At least one year before I put my backside on that hard chair for good."

Rukia gasped again.

Byakuya gave a defeated sigh.

Yuzu giggled behind her tiny hand.

Toushiro had his lips tilted up on one side.

Karin threw her head back and laughed again.

Ichigo glared at his father and mouthed, "What the f…"

* * *

The pair drove quietly back to their apartment. Both, too exhausted to be the first to break the silence. Rukia thought it was amusing how Ichigo had turned into someone literally out of this world once again overnight. His identity evolution never ceased to amaze her.

The look on her brother's face was priceless. She couldn't recall ever seeing him exhibit so many different expressions in one night. He probably thought he was being subtle about it but after living under the same roof with his standoffish nature, Rukia knew him well enough to see through all that.

Then, there was Hitsugaya- _taichou_. He was not much different from her _Nii-sama_. He just didn't have the noble blood in him that would make him arrogant enough to be on the same level as the Kuchiki clan head. Toushiro, however, was respectful and believed in protocols. His manners were solely influenced by the fact that he was in the residence of his old boss whom he was also trying to impress because he was his girlfriend's father. Rukia inwardly snickered when she recalled that, amidst all the shocking news, Ichigo had forgotten to threaten the _chibi taichou_ for dating his sister.

Yuzu seemed to have absorbed and accepted the new information well. But that was just how she was. She loved her family very much. She used to tell Rukia that she would remain unmarried just so she could look after their father in his old age because she knew her brother and her twin wouldn't be able to stand living with Isshin. When she found out that her father might never die because he wasn't even human, she changed her mind about her vocation and decided she would someday fall in love, get married, and have a huge family. Rukia knew the young girl was thinking of a redheaded boy when she mused about her future family. She couldn't tell Ichigo, though. Otherwise, the guy would storm into Urahara's _shoten_ and wring the neck of that loud assistant of his.

Karin, who could never take her father seriously, was having a bit of difficulty processing the whole thing. It was good that Hitsugaya- _taichou_ was there to distract her after their family dinner but Rukia was worried that the tomboy might need someone to talk to when he went back to Soul Society. Karin was like Ichigo in more ways than she cared to admit. She would always naturally take everything upon her own shoulders and keep to herself when she's upset or confused. Rukia took out her phone to text the other raven-haired girl, telling her that she could give her call if she needed someone to talk to. The _shinigami_ did not want Karin to have to go through what she went through post Aizen War.

Ichigo lazily dropped his keys onto the console table by the _genkan_ as he removed his shoes. Rukia was already putting away the containers of food that Yuzu had made for them into the fridge. The petite girl yelped in surprise when she was pulled back onto a hard chest after she had closed the fridge door. Ichigo buried his nose in her hair, inhaling the scent of the strawberry shampoo she had been using. Rukia folded her arms over Ichigo's, which were encircled around her waist.

"You know what that crazy old man was trying to say right?" he mumbled into her ear.

Rukia shuddered at the ticklish feeling caused by his warm breath. "Which part? He said a lot of things tonight."

Ichigo nibbled on the skin of her neck before replying shortly, "The betrothal."

She bit her lower lip and lightly pinched his arm. "I know what that word means, _Baka_. It's practically a household word in the Kuchiki clan."

"What's your answer, then?" he asked, turning her around to face him but his arms continued to imprison her in his embrace.

Rukia looked up at him, their eyes searching into each other's. Their relationship had barely begun officially and here they were, trapped in a future they had no idea was waiting for them until just a couple of hours ago. Not that they were actually complaining about it, though.

 _Isshin made it clear to her brother that he was pretty certain Ichigo would choose Rukia to be his bride. There was no need for an_ omiai _, anyway. But it needed to be done for formality's sake. Byakuya had only grunted in reply, eliciting a smug look on Ichigo's face._

 _Before the Kuchiki left the house, however, he had taken Ichigo aside to speak privately to him. "It matters very little to me that someday, hopefully in a very distant and non-existent future, that I may have to address you as 'Your Majesty'. I assure you, Kurosaki Ichigo, that if you hurt my sister, I will not hesitate to end your life, even if I have to lose my own in the process."_

 _Ichigo scoffed. "First of all, Byakuya, I don't care for stupid titles like 'Your Majesty'. I'm neither you nor Toushiro. And second, I'd willingly end my own life before you come after me, if I ever hurt Rukia. But, thanks for the chat. At least now I know that you're concerned about her."_

The _shinigami daiko_ blinked when he felt Rukia tugging the fabric of his shirt. Both her arms were curled up between their chests. "What's the question?"

Heaving a long sigh, Ichigo gave her a hint of smile. "Would you do the honour of taking up the role of the Lady Betrothed to the Clan of Shiba, future Soul Princess of the Royal Palace of the King of Soul Society?" he breathed, phrase by phrase.

Rukia stared back him as it finally dawned on her: "Soul Princess. Oh, f..."

* * *

 **There, Chapter 19. Thanks for reading, reviewing, following and favouriting! Hope you enjoy this one.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Not to be used loosely**

 **Chapter 20**

 **A/N: I do not own Bleach and its characters. Happy birthday, Rukia!**

 _"Hey..." Ichigo nudged the short_ shinigami _by his side as they were walking back from school._

 _The girl hummed absentmindedly in reply while she texted her weekly report on her_ denreishinki _to Ukitake-_ taichou _._

 _Before he could continue what he wanted to say, the two of them were ambushed by their brown-haired classmate who fell on his knees, grasped Rukia's hand, and started kissing the back of it._

 _"Kuchiki-_ san _!" Asano Keigo exclaimed._

 _Surprised by his sudden appearance, Rukia lost her grip on the_ denreishinki _, causing it to slip out of her hand. The device was, however, saved by Ichigo's quick reflex as he grabbed it before it landed on the hard concrete sidewalk beneath them._

 _"Y-yes, Asano-_ kun _?" Rukia stammered after recovering from her shock._

 _Keigo stood back up with a goofy grin. "May I take you out for dinner tonight?"_

 _Ichigo rolled his eyes in annoyance while checking Rukia's report on the_ denreishinki _. The cursor was still blinking where she had stopped typing before she was interrupted. She was not done yet. He silently pushed the device into her backpack._

 _"Err..." the girl began, unsure of what to say. Realising that Keigo still had a hold of her hand, she gently tried to pull away from him._

 _The insistent boy tightened his grip on the_ shinigami _and said, "It's your birthday, right? Let me treat you to that new restaurant in town."_

 _"Oh!" Rukia hid her schoolgirl smile delicately behind the tip of her fingers, to which her orange-haired friend again, rolled his eyes. "Thank you for your invitation, Asano-_ kun _. But I've already got other plans."_

 _At that, Keigo began to weep. "Oh, what a shame! I've been planning this romantic date for a long time. Please tell me you would reschedule your plans for me instead."_

 _Tired of his perverted friend's antics, Ichigo slammed the sole of his black shoe on Keigo's face. "You heard her. She said no. Now, get the hell out of here!" he growled, as he stepped over his friend's body to continue his walk home._

 _"I'm sorry, Asano-_ kun _. Thanks again for the thought," Rukia said, taking a quick bow before catching up with Ichigo's long strides._

 _They decided to ignore Keigo's wailing behind them about how his cruel 'best friend' only wanted the goddess to himself._

 _Just as they were turning into a street corner, they ran into a bubbly big-busted girl with her orange hair flailing behind her as she skipped towards them. "Kuchiki-_ san _!" she exclaimed, waving her hand in their direction._

 _"Hello, Inoue," Rukia greeted back with a smile._

 _Having noticed that Ichigo was there, Inoue joined her hands nervously in front of her as she stuttered, "Kurosaki-_ kun _."_

 _Ichigo grunted and averted his gaze from her. It was still kind of awkward between them after Inoue had confessed to him a month ago._

 _Sensing the tension, Rukia decided to speak up. "Are you shopping around here, Inoue?"_

 _The taller girl's mood immediately changed back to her jolly self. "Yes, Kuchiki-_ san _! And I was also looking for you," she replied._

 _"Looking for me?"_

 _Inoue nodded vigorously. Rukia was worried her head would come tumbling off her neck but the girl lifted up her transparent shopping bag and shoved it about an inch from Rukia's face to show her the contents. "I would like to invite you to my house for dinner tonight. I know it's your birthday and I'm cooking my specialty. Also, I'll be making a birthday cake for you. Can you guess what cake it is?" she asked excitedly._

 _Ichigo turned away, preparing to hide his gag. He didn't need to guess what it was going to be. Anything from Inoue's hell kitchen was definitely not worth knowing about._

 _Rukia shook her head with an anxious smile._

 _Inoue giggled as she dropped the bag to her side. "Why, red bean paste cake, of course! I'm also going to include a bit of_ unagi _, some Thai chilli sauce, a bit of turmeric..." she rattled on, totally oblivious to how the birthday girl's face was starting to turn green._

 _"Sorry, Inoue," Ichigo said, his hands gripping Rukia's shoulders to steer her to move along. "Rukia has other plans tonight. Maybe next time?"_

 _"T-that's too bad, Kurosaki-_ kun _. But i-it's okay. Happy birthday, Kuchiki-_ san _!" Inoue bowed again as she watched them walk away._

 _It took Rukia about twenty steps – and probably ten for Ichigo – before she finally felt her throat open up and she was ready to talk again. "That was..."_

 _"Nauseatingly disgusting, I know. You're welcome, Midget," Ichigo mumbled, earning him an elbow in the gut. "What the hell, Rukia!"_

 _"That was so rude of you, Berry!" Rukia snapped, her hands planted firmly on her tiny hips._

 _"How was that rude? I was saving you from food poisoning, and possibly even a second death," Ichigo muttered, nursing the sore spot on his abs._

 _Rukia sighed. "Yeah, well, you could've given me the chance to decline gently."_

 _The_ shinigami daiko _scoffed. "Like next year? You were completely impaired of your ability to talk, Midget," he teased, just in time to dodge her attempt at his shin._

 _"Whatever," the petite god mumbled as she rolled her eyes. Digging into the back pocket of her skinny jeans, she fished out her phone that was vibrating against her._

From: Kojima Mizuiro

Hey, Kuchiki- _san_. I was just wondering if you would be available tonight...

 _Rukia hummed as she stared at the screen of her phone. The male next to her glanced curiously at her but didn't bother to take a glimpse at what was on the screen. Whatever got to that phone was solely her business. They both only shared the_ denreishinki _._

To: Kojima Mizuiro

I do have something planned already, Kojima- _kun_. Anything I can help you with?

 _Rukia typed before flicking the switch on the side of the phone to turn it off silent mode. After waiting for his reply for a bit, she shoved the phone back into her pocket as they walked in comfortable silence to the Kurosaki clinic – the place she affectionately called her home in the World of the Living._

 _Just as they were entering Ichigo's room, they heard a beep signalling that another message had come through._

 _"Who's that?" he asked, unable to hold his curiosity any longer._

From: Kojima Mizuiro

Oh... I was hoping I could take you out on a birthday date tonight.

Mizuiro sure isn't going to beat around the bush... _she thought._

 _Ever since he had found out Rukia's real age after she had helped return Ichigo's power to him, the well-esteemed playboy had been turning on his best charms to try to get her to go out with him._

 _With a sigh, she typed her reply to him, ignoring for the moment the fact that Ichigo was waiting for her answer._

To: Kojima Mizuiro

Sorry, Kojima- _kun_. Some other time, maybe?

 _"Ru..."_

 _"It's Kojima-_ kun _," she snickered._

 _Her_ shinigami _partner who was settled on his bed scowled. "He doesn't seem to get it, does he?"_

 _"Get what?"_

 _"That you're not interested in him," Ichigo replied, his brows narrowed under his golden bangs._

 _Rukia shrugged. "Who says I'm not interested? It's just his bad timing all the time. I might consider going out with him someday."_

 _Ichigo scoffed again before lying down on the mattress with his arms folded behind his head. "Right..."_

 _The girl smirked and climbed into her – his – closet. It was nearly 6.30 pm. Dinner at the Kurosaki's usually began at 7.00 pm. They might as well rest a little before Yuzu came up to call for them._

 _Fifteen minutes later, right about the time when Rukia's eyelids were feeling a bit heavy after she finally completed and sent her report to Ukitake-_ taichou _, she heard Ichigo calling her from the bed. His voice was quite faint but she managed to hear his question through the two-inch slit of the closet door._

 _"What_ did _you have planned for tonight?" he asked._

 _Her eyes opened up to stare at the ceiling of her tiny 'room'. "I thought I'd just have dinner here with your dad and the girls. Yuzu told me this morning that she would be preparing my favourite dishes. Not sure what those are. I love everything she cooks," Rukia giggled._

 _Ichigo felt the corner of his lips tilted up a bit. Ever since he got his power back, ever since he got back the life he missed so much after those empty 17 months, ever since Rukia came back into his world again, he had started to have this sense of fulfillment in his life. He wouldn't tell her, though. Not yet, anyway._

 _There were nights when he would stare at her sleeping form in the closet, wondering if that was just her_ gigai _lying down on the layers of_ futon _. There were times when he would hover a finger close to her nose just to make sure that she was breathing. He found it hard to believe that she was finally back in his life, kicking his shin and slapping him upside the head to keep him in line. He truly thought he would never see her again._

 _It had always been the lull of her warm_ reiatsu _and her soft snoring that helped him sleep better at night. Even though she had crashed into his life uninvited and turned it upside down, Ichigo had come to see her as the constant presence that kept him grounded._

 _He loved it that she could adjust so easily to his world despite the fact that she came from a noble family where everything was done and prepared for her by her servants. He loved it that she could simply kick off her shoes and be herself around him instead of pretending to be a stick up the ass rich kid like her primed and proper brother despite all her training to be one. He loved it that she was always so comfortable and at home with his family even though they were a whole bunch of weirdoes. Most of all, he loved it that she would still come back to him and his tiny little closet even when she knew she had other options now that she had made more friends._

 _Someday, he just might tell her all these things. But today, he was just grateful for her presence here with him and he didn't want to ruin the moment by being all sappy and shit._

 _"You want to catch a late night show after dinner at the cinema?" he asked, surprising even himself._

 _There was a moment of silence. Rukia found herself smiling at his offer but he wasn't aware of that. He didn't need to know about it._

 _"Sure…"_

 _Ichigo grinned at the ceiling of his bedroom upon hearing her reply. "Happy birthday, Shinigami…"_

 _He never planned to take her to the movies. And she never expected him to do something like that either. But she decided that she loved how her birthday was going so far._

* * *

 **I'm sorry this birthday chapter came in a few days late. I was so busy with so many things that I just couldn't write past the first couple of paragraphs. This is a flashback, as you can see, of Rukia's birthday not too long after the Fullbring Arc.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Not to be used loosely**

 **Chapter 21**

 **A/N: I do not own Bleach and its characters.**

Taking a seat in his green foldable fisherman's chair, he stretched out his right leg while tilting his body to the left to dig into his jeans pocket for his lighter. He kept his eyes on the inscription on the tombstone as he lit the single stick of cigarette which was already lightly held between his lips since he had gotten out of the car.

After taking a long pull and filling up his lungs with the cancerous essence, he smirked. The very minimal amount of smoke he released through the little gap of his mouth was carried away by the morning breeze. He remembered her complimenting him on how sexy he looked whenever he displayed that habit of his. The smoking habit, that is. The smirk was always a bonus, all the time.

Glancing up at the white clouds moving in the sky, he let out a soft chuckle. An outsider would've thought he was insane. They wouldn't be that far off from the truth, though. He _was_ insane, according to his children. But at the moment, he was just imagining what she would've said to him in person.

"They know," he said in the gentle tone he always used when speaking to her. Leaning his body forward with his elbows on his knees, he fixed his eyes upon her bright smile on the tiny picture. "And the old man wants me back there soon."

 _"You know you can't keep running away from him, right?" she asked quietly from where she was with her head on his bare chest as her fingers mindlessly traced little circles around where she could feel his heart was beating steadily._

 _He hummed in reply while staring at nothing in the distance from their bed. He had one hand holding her lower back and the other cradling the side of her head, where his fingers laced through her light brown locks._

 _"He probably misses you," she continued._

 _Isshin snorted. "He just wants me there to affirm his position as_ the ruler of the world _," he said, bitterly emphasising the last phrase._

 _Masaki lifted her head and furrowed her brows at him. "You are his son. Not his insurance. I don't think you would like it if Ichigo were to say such things about you."_

 _"He won't. I'm a better father than Shiba Katsuo," he replied with confidence._

 _"Arrogance. Ignorance," Masaki commented, digging her chin into his sternum with each word. "You're every bit the royal heir that you are and you don't even know it."_

 _Isshin rolled his eyes as he held her chin before she could bruise him further. "And that's where I learnt to treat you like a queen," he said, pecking her all over her forehead._

 _Pouting, she raised a finger to his lips to stop him. "Just promise me you will talk to the kids. They have every right to know about their roots. Our son is old enough to understand."_

 _He merely nodded, knowing full well that he would never win an argument with her._

 _"And when the time comes..."_

 _"I know. I know. I'll pass it down to Ichigo," he cut her off with a smirk._

 _Masaki smiled as she pulled herself up to lie completely on top of him. Isshin wrapped both his arms tightly around her waist as they began their slow intimate kiss._

Squeezing shut his tear-stung eyes, the Soul Prince heaved a long sigh. "I'm not sure I can do this without you by my side as my Queen," he whispered as he looked back at the tomb stone, twirling the small gift for Ichigo between his thumb and forefinger.

* * *

 _Of all the days..._ Ichigo grumbled to himself as he took long strides up the hill.

He had just received a text from his father to meet him at the cemetery. He wasn't told why. It wasn't his mother's birthday. Neither was it the anniversary of her death. He already had his whole Sunday planned out beforehand: a day at the beach with his favourite tiny person before going home to have dinner and catching up on their favourite anime series.

Of course, Rukia had pushed him out the door before he even replied the text. She never passed up a chance on letting the father and son have their much-needed bonding time. By the time she locked the door from the inside, Ichigo had spat out a string of curses on every short people and every crazy father in the world. He swore he could hear her snickering her way into her room. _Damn midget_.

As he reached the entrance of the graveyard, his steps slowed to a halt.

 _"I'm not sure I can do this without you by my side as my Queen."_

Ichigo narrowed his brows. It wasn't the first time he caught his father being emotional. And most of the time, his father would be able to sense his spiritual pressure and pull a quick cover up. This time, though, Isshin remained silent after his unexpected declaration.

The younger Kurosaki took his time to approach his father with careful, quiet steps.

" _Tou-san_..." he called out when he was standing a couple of feet behind the slouching Soul Prince.

Isshin glanced over his shoulder to acknowledge his presence with a nod. "Son." He got up and motioned for Ichigo to take a seat, giving him some alone time with his late mother. "I'll be at the arch for a bit," he said before lighting another cigarette as he walked away.

Ichigo sat down on the chair and stared at the tombstone, unsure of what to say. His father's solemn disposition had caught him off guard. But he knew it must've had something to do with his ascend to the throne.

" _Kaa-san_ ," he began. "So _Otou-san_ has finally told us about his out-of-this-world background. I'm guessing you knew all along but you wanted him to tell us on his own."

He paused, as if expecting his mother to reply. Sighing, he decided to continue talking about how unexpected the news was to everyone and in all honesty, quite unfair as well to the kids that they have to absorb something like that at such short period before their father was to be taken up into the heavenly realm. But he supposed there was really nothing they could do about it. Their destiny had already been written for them long before they even existed.

He also spoke about Rukia – the woman he loved and would spend eternity with. _Eternity_. The word sounded exciting and yet scary at the same time. Who would have thought that he had a life – just like those in Soul Society – planned out for him... and more?

"I'm going to marry her, _Kaa-san_. You would love her, too. She's like you in many ways: strong, grounded, probably a little bit crazy." He chuckled.

"Speaking of which..." Isshin interrupted, earning him a scowl from his son. "Your mother and I have something for you."

Ichigo got up from his seat and turned to face his father beside him. "What is it?" he asked, half-expecting his father to pull his goofiness on him.

Instead, the future King reached out to take Ichigo's hand and placed a small item in his palm. The substitute _shinigami_ stared wide-eyed at a platinum ring with a small diamond on it in his hand. It was of a delicate size but was also strongly weighted, solid, firm, and seemed to hold a vibe of nobility and majesty.

"This was your mother's engagement ring. I promised her I'd pass it down to you when the time comes. You will give this to Rukia- _chan_ during your engagement party," Isshin explained.

Ichigo furrowed his brows. "Engagement party? Is that even necessary?"

His father grinned. "You may be next in line after me as the Soul King, boy. But you're still going to have to go through official protocol to marry a noble princess."

The orange head groaned in annoyance. This was so not in his plans. And it just dawned on him that because of his status and that of his midget girlfriend, they wouldn't have much control of their own lives anymore. Freedom sure as hell does not come with power.

* * *

Rukia heard the main door click shut and a few seconds later, soft steps entering the living room.

"Midget?"

She furrowed her brows but decided to ignore the nickname as usual. "I'm in my bedroom," she called out.

With that, her door opened before the giant of a man threw himself face first on her bed.

"Did you grow up in a barn?" she asked, rolling her eyes.

"No," came Ichigo's muffled reply. "In a mental asylum, maybe." He turned around to lie on his back and placed his arm over his eyes. "This is our place. No one's going to invade the privacy of your room."

Rukia shrugged. "You just did."

Ichigo rolled onto his side to glare at her, resting the weight of his body on one elbow. "Must I remind you whom it was that walked right through the wall of my bedroom when I was 15?"

The raven-haired princess harrumphed. "Well, you could've squashed me to death if I was on the bed, you know?" she countered, arranging her cleaned and folded laundry in her drawer.

Ichigo snorted and lay back down on his back. "You're immortal. I would just have to get a new _gigai_ from Urahara."

Shutting her closet, Rukia carried the basket containing Ichigo's half of the clean laundry across towards her bed and dropped it on his stomach.

His upper body lurched up before he snapped at her, "Bitch!"

"Go put away your own clothes," she smirked. "How did it go at the graveyard, anyway?"

Ichigo swung his legs over the edge of the bed while balancing the basket on his lap. He shrugged as he placed both his arms across the mouth of the basket and looked up at Rukia, thinking how best to tell her… or if he should even tell her now. "It was weird. But I guess it was all right. He didn't hit me or anything."

"Yeah, that _is_ kind of weird. But who cares if he did?" she grinned. "Why the graveyard, though?"

Ichigo managed a scowl before replying, "I guess he just wanted us to spend a bit of time with Mum." It was part-truth. They did hang out at the grave for another half-an-hour after the engagement talk. He wasn't going to reveal the whole thing to her until he figured out how this whole ceremony was going to happen. As for the ring that was still tucked away in his wallet, he wanted it to be a surprise on the day itself. He made a mental note to get a proper jewellery box to house it. _Wouldn't want to lose a family heirloom_ , he thought.

Despite everything, he found himself pulling a small smile at what all that meant. This woman – though she didn't look like one in that old baby-T with its round neck hanging off her shoulder on one side and a pair of faded, ripped jeans shorts – was going to be pledged to him for the rest of eternity during that ceremony. Of course, it was just an engagement, and she could still pull out and return the ring to him before they were officially married. But he knew she wouldn't. If there was anything he could put his trust on, it was Rukia's undying _allegiance_ to the bond they both shared. He could rely on Rukia herself to stick to him as long as they were both alive – soulfully, that is – just as much as she could rely on him.

"You're creeping me out, Berry," Rukia muttered with her arms firmly crossed over her chest.

"What?" he asked, snapping out of his thoughts.

Rukia swiped her finger in front of his face. "That goofy smile of yours while you're staring at me like a dumb ass."

"Tsk…" Ichigo scoffed, placing the basket on the floor beside his feet. "Takes one dumb ass to recognise another." Reaching out to grab her wrist, he pulled her onto his lap and trapped her there with his arms around her waist.

The raven-haired _shinigami_ yelped before adjusting herself so she wouldn't lose her balance. "You're getting awfully affectionate these days," she commented.

"Am I not allowed to, with my girlfriend?" he asked, squeezing her thigh.

Rukia blushed. She was still trying to get used to that label and the fact that Ichigo's been so actively PDA-ing wherever they went. It's like he was afraid she would fly away if he didn't anchor her to his side.

"You never seemed the type to get all touchy-feely in all the years I've known you," she remarked, cupping her hand on the side of his face and drawing small circles on his cheekbone with her thumb.

Ichigo pulled her closer to let their foreheads touch. "I've been keeping my hands to myself for too damn long. Just making up for lost time, I guess. Besides, do you have any idea how irresistibly gorgeous you are?" he mumbled, grazing her lips with his as his voice grew huskier with every phrase.

Rukia felt herself shudder. This was definitely a side of Ichigo that she had not seen before. She's not sure how she felt about it but it would require some getting used to on her part.

Held captive by both his arms and his eyes, she could feel herself dissolving into that smouldering look of his. What was it she was seeing in those amber orbs? Something between adoration and silent worship? She didn't feel worthy enough to be looked upon that way. She had always held very minimal esteem of herself, being a _shinigami_ who had taken countless lives – both good and evil, ruined many innocent ones and left filthy splotches wherever she traipsed. The most important one being this handsome, rash, and passionate _ryoka_ -turned- _shinigami_ whose very embrace she had just found herself trapped in.

"What are you thinking about?" Ichigo asked, slipping his tongue out the tiny distance to trace her bottom lip. He was teasing her. She knew it and they both knew that he knew that _she_ knew it. He could tell that somewhere in her mind, she was yelling at him to 'get it over with and start kissing me already'. But he was also certain that she was lost in her own thoughts while trying to comprehend what had become of them in the past few weeks. Reading each other's minds was second nature to them at this point.

It was a lot for her to take. The whole 'realising each other's feelings' thing. And then, there was that sudden untraditional _omiai_ part which they were kind of forced into and yet didn't bother them one bit. It was a lot for _him_ to take, being of royal blood all of a sudden. As if turning into a _shinigami_ overnight and then finding out he had always been part soul reaper all the while weren't shocking enough. This newly-attained information was a sudden thunderstorm.

But one good thing came out of it: Neither Byakuya, the elders of the Kuchiki clan, nor the whole of Soul Society including the Gotei 13 and Central 46 would be able to get in the way of their relationship. Heck, not even the Soul King himself could. Ichigo was pretty sure that Shiba Katsuo would never question Isshin's fondness of this so-called third daughter of his whom he had already considered family long before Ichigo knew he had feelings for the midget.

The orange head continued to nibble Rukia's lips, rubbing his hands up and down her sides while waiting for her answer. She decided not to respond to his ministrations. Not an easy task, she must admit. She was trying really hard not to give in to the little one-sided make-out session they were having.

"I was thinking," she murmured, suppressing a moan. "That..."

"Mhmm..." He had already moved from her lips to her jaw and was heading lower to the pulse on her slender porcelain neck. Her fists clawed at the overwhelming sensation, one in his hair and the other at the nape of his neck.

Just when she thought she had the words in her head and was about to relay them with her now-unoccupied mouth, she gasped instead when he deliberately bit into her skin before soothing the spot with his tongue.

 _Shit_... she screamed in her head, unintentionally pushing him more into her collarbone.

And then, he was back to her lips before she could say anything, this time forcing his way into her mouth and her participation.

It took a while but she managed to push him away after battling with his tongue for a few times. Neither of them won but their breathlessness was proof that they were both enjoying it. "Ichigo..." _Crap!_ She didn't mean for her voice to sound seductive but it did. She almost didn't recognise it herself.

Ichigo grunted – getting turned on, and dove in for another round but this time she was quicker than him.

Placing her fingers flat on his lips, she stammered, "Wait."

He scowled... No, growled.

Rukia chuckled, because he was pouting, too. Like a little boy who had just had his favourite truck taken away from his grasp. She gave him a peck on the tip of his nose. "Ichigo, we were supposed to head to the beach today, remember?"

"Way to ruin the moment, Midget," he snapped, throwing her off his lap onto the bed and pinning her wrists beside her head with his strong hands.

She giggled. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did I just cock-block you?"

The man's eyes widened at her taunting statement. "Wouldn't you like to know?" he growled and tickled her sides, eliciting a louder shriek of laughter out of her as she tried to push him away.

"Stop it! Strawberry- _kun_!"

"You are seriously looking for trouble, Kuchiki!" Shoving her shirt up to expose her stomach, Ichigo began nibbling the skin around her navel.

The more his face moved against her abs, the louder she got while tugging his hair to pull him away from her body. At this stage, she wasn't sure if she was laughing or screaming but eventually she started to run out of breath. "Kurosaki Ichigo!" she cried, just as she felt some of his fingers slipping into the waistband of her pants.

He looked up at her and was about to tease her further when he saw her biting her lower lip while shaking her head at him. Instant guilt flashed across his face as he pulled her shirt down to cover her skin.

"Sorry," he whispered, burying his face in the crook of her neck.

Rukia wrapped her arms around his head and sighed, "It's okay, Ichigo."

When he didn't say anything, she stroked his hair in the hopes of comforting him more.

"Hey..." she urged, trying to turn his head up to look at her but he remained where he was, even shaking his head to resist her pull. "Ichigo."

"Yeah?" came his muffled reply.

Rukia huffed and tugged at the strands of his hair. "Quit being a baby, Kurosaki!" she chided.

"What?" He finally looked up with a scowl to hide his flushed face.

She wanted to laugh at his expression. She knew he was embarrassed. At any other time, she wouldn't have refrained from making fun of him. But she also knew this was not 'any other time'. The boy was just as guilt-stricken as he was ashamed of his earlier actions. He was probably berating himself for losing control. To be fair though, she did feel that it was her fault for provoking him with her sarcasm.

The petite woman settled on giving him a small smile instead. "There's nothing to be sorry or embarrassed about, Berry. I know there'll come a time when we both give in to our carnal desire. It's fully expected because we are attracted to each other that way. It's just that..." she exhaled and turned her eyes towards the ceiling to think of a way to convey what was on her mind.

"I get it, Rukia. We're both not ready and I shouldn't have..."

She planted a quick kiss on his lips to shut him up. "I think we both know we're more than ready to get over this sexual tension that's been going on for a long time now. But our first time together should be a lot more special than just going at it on a whim from a playful tickle spiralling out of control."

Ichigo furrowed his brows. "I know it's going to be my first time. But you don't have to worry about it not being special because it will be, for me, regardless of when. Just as long it's with you. I don't really care how, where, or when. I just know I'm willing to commit because it is you, Rukia."

A tint of pink rose on her cheeks as she stared back at him. It suddenly dawned on her that he didn't quite get what was going on. But it was at times like this that their mind-reading habit came in handy.

Ichigo pushed himself up on his elbows to study that look on her face, causing her to blush deeper. "You're... It's going to be your first time, too, isn't it?"

Rukia wasn't looking at him anymore. Her eyes danced around the room, anywhere but him.

He smirked before gently and passionately kissing her on the lips. "Hey..." He pecked her lips. "I'm glad I'm going to be your first. In fact, I'm going to make it so special, you'll remember it for the next 500 lifetimes. So special you'll be searching the whole universe for me just because you don't want anyone else but me breaking that barrier of yours," he unabashedly declared.

Rukia slapped the side of his head. "Conceited fool! What makes you think you won't shrink in fear inside your panties when the time comes?"

Ichigo chuckled, raising himself further on the palm of his hands. "First of all, I don't wear panties," he countered, reaching a finger into the waistband of her jeans and snapping the fabric of her underwear against her hip. "Secondly, I'm sure my huge ass _zanpakutou_ is proof enough that nothing about me 'shrinks'. Thirdly, I've got to start planning our engagement party so that 'the time' will come a lot quicker." Swooping in for another kiss, he lifted himself from the bed and made his way out of Rukia's room with another annoying smirk.

A string of curses left the mouth of the Kuchiki princess as she sat up and adjusted her dishevelled shirt and hair. One of her feet ended up inside the laundry basket, causing her to scowl at the retreating back of the boy who had just disappeared from the doorway. "Put away your own laundry, you bastard!"

She heard the loud chuckle from the living room that eventually died down when Ichigo shut the door to his own bedroom down the hallway.

"Wait..." Rukia furrowed her brows. "What engagement party?"

* * *

 **I'm sorry it took so long to update. Took me a long time to come up with something like this too. I knew it would be an Isshin chapter when I finished the previous one but my mind seemed to have totally shut down on how best to put him and the ring in the fic. The second part is pure fluff. Hahaha… I was quite surprised that the words just flowed when I started it. I didn't mean to write this part and when I thought of doing it, I only wanted it to equal the first part. I guess I got carried away and the word count doubled the graveyard part of the chapter. Oh, and I was too sleepy to edit it properly by the time I was done. I hope there are no major errors.**

 **Thanks for all your reviews, follows and favs. I really appreciate them.**

 **I'm also working on a crossover between Bleach and Shingeki no Kyojin, the latter being my current favourite. Just can't wait for season two of the anime. It'll be a four-part fic. But I will complete** ** _Loosely_** **first before I post anything up. In fact, I will complete all three parts and the first few chapters of the fourth part before I begin to post each chapter weekly. Main pairings will be ByaHisa, LeviMika and of course, IchiRuki.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Not to be used loosely**

 **Chapter 22**

 **A/N: I do not own Bleach and its characters.**

"You wanted to see me, Shiba- _sama_?"

The Soul King remained staring at the family portrait before he turned around to face his visitor who was sitting in a _seiza_ pose, head bowed and touching the floor. He nodded at the two palace guards, giving them permission to leave the throne room.

As the heavy door drew shut, Shiba Katsuo approached the student in the Shinō Academy uniform who stood up immediately. He placed his hand on the student's upper arm where a _reiatsu_ modulator was strapped on to it. With a fatherly look of fondness on his face, the King displayed a small opened scroll to the curious brown eyes before him.

The future shinigami gasped upon reading the contents, face turned back to the King for confirmation. " _Tou-sama_..."

Katsuo nodded with a smile. "Less than two years from now. Most probably much earlier. I'm sure you'll be more than ready by then."

The student returned the smile, eyes brimming with happy tears.

It's been too long.

* * *

Abarai Renji was just about to enter the Sixth Division building when he almost ran straight into that substitute _shinigami_ he had come to call his next best friend. He stumbled back a few steps just in time to avoid crashing the guy right through the _shoji_ door of his office.

"Oi!" he shouted as he grabbed Ichigo by the collar of his _shihakusho_.

The orange head, being almost three inches shorter than Renji, was lifted off the ground a bit before he landed on his ass. It made the _fukutaichou_ chuckle. Ichigo glared at his friend who had crossed his arms and was about to spout some insults at him.

"What the hell was that for, Pineapple?" Ichigo snapped as he got up and brushed invisible dust from the back of his _hakama_.

"You're wearing out our pavement, pacing around like that. What are you doing here?" Renji asked.

Ichigo huffed, straightening his _shihakusho_ and tightening his _obi_.

The other guy watched him, mildly amused that he looked so fidgety before he realised Ichigo did not have his _zanpakutou_ with him. "You're nervous," he commented.

"Am not," Ichigo bit out.

"Why are you nervous?" Renji smirked.

"I..."

Before he could say more, the door to the office slid open and there stood Kuchiki Byakuya, completely annoyed at the noise that was interrupting his paperwork. "What are you two overgrown _bakamono_ weeds doing outside my office?" he almost growled. Almost. Because growling requires putting a bit of emotions and those are not something that the stoic Kuchiki head possessed.

" _Taichou_ ," Renji addressed, straightening up. "I arrived here to find Ichigo wandering outside our office, sir."

Ichigo sneered, "I wasn't wandering, you redhead baboon!" And then, he nodded at the other man. "I'm here to see you, Byakuya."

The captain raised his brows. "You may enter," he said after looking Ichigo up and down.

The orange head walked into the Sixth Division office as the captain stepped aside.

Renji was just about to follow after Ichigo when his captain shot him a piercing look.

"Abarai," Byakuya called out. "Go and supervise our trainees who are sparring at the 11th."

" _Taichou_ ," the redhead was about to protest. He just came back from there anyway.

"I do not need to repeat myself," Byakuya muttered, sliding the _shoji_ door shut in his face.

Renji huffed and returned to the training ground of the other division. _And he was always the one reprimanding me for spending too much time there..._

Back in the office, Ichigo stood in front of Byakuya's desk, awaiting permission to speak. He had never been so anxious before the captain. Heck, he had never been anxious in front of anyone.

Byakuya seemed to sense his uneasiness and deliberately took his time to walk around his desk before settling down to sign a few papers.

Ichigo was getting impatient but he tried to look at it as an opportunity for him to get his thoughts together and prepare what he wanted to say. It unnerved him that he had to stand still while doing that but he tried not to think about it.

After finishing his current pile of paperwork, Byakuya finally took a glance at the _ryoka_ who was fidgeting before him. "Sit down, Kurosaki. You're annoying me," he ordered.

Ichigo eyed the _zabuton_ at his feet as if it were killer _sakura_ petals knitted together by Byakuya as a trap to cut him into pieces the minute he sank his knees on it. When he looked back up at the face of the _taichou_ , he caught sight of the grey eyes narrowing at him. He instantly took his seat before heaving a shaky breath to begin what he was about to say.

Byakuya rested his _fude_ on the holder and placed his elbows on the edge of the desk, begrudgingly giving the young man his attention.

Ichigo cleared his throat before speaking up, "Byakuya."

The raven-haired captain narrowed his eyes once again at the rude address but he decided not to reprove. It would take forever for their untimely meeting to finish if he started chiding the boy for everything he had to say.

Ichigo decided to continue when Byakuya kept quiet. "You already know of my intention to marry Rukia but I just want to properly and respectfully ask you for her hand in marriage. You are her brother and the only family that she has. It would be an honour for me to have your blessings to take her as my bride. It is not just a promise to you alone, but to myself as well, that I will give my all to make her the happiest person in all of three worlds. I will protect her with my life and give her the royal treatment befitting of her status both as a Kuchiki noble and the princess of the Soul Palace."

Byakuya stared at Ichigo with his usual stoic expression. He was quite surprised and impressed with Ichigo's speech, but as usual, his Kuchiki pride had prevented him from showing any of it. He had no doubt that the young prince loved his sister very much. Ichigo had proven that much in the past eight years with his brash over-protectiveness.

The Sixth Squad captain could also see how deep Rukia's feelings were for this man. He had seen it in the way she desperately told Ichigo not to follow her to Soul Society when she was taken back for execution. He had seen the longing in her eyes before the boy crossed the _senkaimon_ when she decided to stay back. She was so determined to help return his powers to him after those 17 months when she was totally not herself at all. Byakuya never wanted to admit it but he was also moved by Rukia's words when she told Ichigo what kind of man he was in her heart.

When the Kuchiki elders told him of their arrangement with the Shihouin clan, he tried to delay the meeting as much as possible. Even though he had to be submissive towards the rules of the clan, Byakuya was also reminded of his promise to Hisana that he would take care of Rukia. And taking care of Rukia meant guarding what she wanted most. He already knew it wouldn't be a successful match-making session between Shihouin Yuushiro and Rukia but the elders were getting really suspicious. In the end, he had to put Rukia through it. He could only hope that she would be strong enough to find a way out on her own.

During the dinner that night, Byakuya had gone to Hisana's shrine to ask for forgiveness. When the young Shihouin told him of their 'incompatibility' later on, the Kuchiki head couldn't decide if he was relieved or more afraid of what other arrangements the elders had for Rukia after that. One thing's for sure, though, he knew Yuushiro had given up his pursuit only because he could see that Rukia already had feelings for the _ryoka_ saviour.

Byakuya swallowed to clear his throat. "What will your living arrangement be after the wedding?" he asked as it was customary for the bride's family to know what the groom had planned for their future.

Ichigo regarded the much older man with certainty. "As my father has mentioned, I will be completing my paediatric medical studies in two years. Rukia and I will be staying in the World of the Living until I am done. After that, we will move to Soul Society if I choose not to carry on with my other major in child psychiatry. By then, my father would have to ascend the throne as well," he explained.

Byakuya wondered why he wasn't as surprised as he should be that he found Ichigo's reply satisfactory to his expectations. This was supposed to be the assertive substitute _shinigami_ who broke into the world of real _shinigami_ to challenge soul reapers as old as a thousand years of age to free his sister from a law that was just as old. But somewhere deep inside him, Byakuya knew that he had hoped - for Rukia's sake - that Ichigo had grown in maturity, enough to deserve just the tip of her hair if not her hand, yet. Byakuya did not want to stand in the way of his sister's happiness but he always feared her choice would not be good enough for her.

"Very well," the captain concluded as he stood up from his desk while Ichigo followed suit. "I shall contact you soon to discuss the _yuinou_ ceremony. You may have the wedding in the World of the Living, if you wish. But the engagement must be done here in Soul Society."

* * *

 _Ah, this is what you call a great day at the beach,_ Ichigo thought. He was lying on his back, an arm over his eyes, in only a pair of beach shorts, his other hand holding his shades on his abs. This much delayed, much wanted trip had finally happened two weeks after his visit to the graveyard with his father. The last time he was here was at least 18 months before his crazy final year started. Before the new semester started again for his paediatric medical studies, he really needed a good, lazy day at the beach.

Bliss...

Until his pillow started to move. "Ichigo," it grunted. "Move, you're heavy."

He groaned. _What does a guy need to do to have one whole day of lazy?_

It moved again. This time removing itself entirely from under him, dropping his orange head with a thump on the big beach blanket.

"Rukia!" he growled.

A snicker. And then, the figure of the girl shadowed over him. "I'm going for a swim," Rukia declared before running off towards the water.

Ichigo groaned again, missing the comfort of his girlfriend's lower back beneath him. He was too lazy to move anywhere else, even if being at the beach involved dipping in the water.

"Oi, Orange," came another voice, its owner kicking sand into Ichigo's side.

The young doctor decided to ignore it. _It_ would surely go away if he didn't give _it_ its desired attention, right?

"Come on, Ren. Leave him alone. Let's go drown Rukia," a female voice said, chuckling as she dragged the redhead _shinigami_ away.

Ichigo shot right up into a sitting position, putting his shades on as his eyes adjusted themselves to his surrounding after the pressure of his arm was removed from them. He blinked a couple of times before he caught sight of his childhood friend and her baboon boyfriend splashing towards a white bikini-clad Rukia. All three looked like they were having a lot of fun.

"Bitch," he muttered. Tatsuki always knew how to agitate his protective nature over Rukia.

The short stuff had just learnt how to swim not too long ago. Sometimes, Ichigo still got a bit nervous letting her go near the water on her own, even though she had assured him countless times that she had gotten the hang of it shortly after he taught her that important life skill. He wasn't so worried about her swimming in the pool. At the beach, it was a different thing altogether, what with the unpredictable current. Even a tiny wave could wash the lightweight midget away.

He continued watching them from where he was, his elbows resting on his knees. He sighed. Those two may be idiots, but they wouldn't let anything happen to Rukia. Before long, another figure with orange locks was also running towards the water to join in the fun. Ichigo didn't have to turn around to tell what was coming next. He made sure to sound his displeasure aloud at the company.

"Even at the beach, you've managed to drag the mood down," commented the unwanted presence.

"Go away, fly," Ichigo mumbled at his cousin.

Ishida ignored him and settled himself on the spot where Rukia had occupied earlier. He picked up the book she was reading and tossed it over to Ichigo.

"Tsk! You've got to learn to respect books, Four Eyes," he chided before scoffing at the title. _The Tale of Peter Rabbit._ Only Rukia would read something childish like that at 150 years old.

"How's your _yuinou_ going?" the Quincy asked.

Ichigo furrowed his brows. "How did you know about the _yuinou_?"

"Abarai may have mentioned it," Ishida replied.

"Bastard."

"What, you weren't planning to tell us about it?" Ishida asked, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

Ichigo shook his head. "I was referring to Byakuya. I haven't even spoken to Rukia and he's already spreading it around."

"I think it had something to do with him getting his _fukutaichou_ to block the date. Abarai _is_ his personal assistant, you know?"

Ichigo sighed. "Yeah, well, he didn't have to tell him what it is. I hope Renji knows how to keep it to himself. She's supposed to hear it from me over dinner tonight."

Ishida nodded absentmindedly. The two of them still had their eyes on their friends in the water. Rukia looked like she had had enough. She was pulling Inoue away from the crazy couple who was busy sparring away in the water.

"It's going to be held at the Kuchiki Manor next month. The elders want it to be a grand affair. I'm pretty sure it has more to do with them being able to boast about having a connection with the Soul Palace than their pride in Rukia. I just hate them for using her like that," Ichigo continued, recalling Byakuya's briefing two days ago. The captain had summoned him back to Soul Society for that.

"You knew this was coming, Kurosaki. Does it still surprise you that they are like that?"

Ichigo shrugged. "No. But I had a tiny bit of hope that they would finally see Rukia for who she is after all that she has done for Soul Society. They still can't look past that street rat childhood of hers."

They both watched in silence as the two girls used twigs to write or draw on the sand, both giggling away at each other's art work. Over the years, Rukia's laughter had become more genuine compared to the acting she used to practise when she first started attending Karakura High. Her giggles and the sweet voices she used no longer annoyed him like they did before. Of course, there were also times when Rukia chose to make the pitch way higher than necessary just to bug the hell out of him.

A sudden shriek from Inoue drew Ichigo's attention back from his reverie of their high school years. He glanced sideways at Ishida and found him smirking at the two girls' antics. That guy was definitely deeply in love with the blonde girl. Ichigo wondered what was taking them such a long time to establish something between them. It was obvious that Inoue had also opened up to Ishida after that reunion party.

"How are you and Inoue?" Ichigo voiced.

There was a twitch at the corner of Ishida's eye as he was trying to decide what to say to his cousin. He let out a long breath, his eyes still on the object of his affection. The girls were both playfully fighting over a larger twig to scribble on each other's drawings. Ichigo didn't have to see it to know one of the drawings was an animal with two long ears and a pom pom tail.

"She's back with Hadashi," the reply finally came.

Ichigo eyes widened as he turned to face Ishida with furrowed brows. "Why?"

"What do you mean 'why'? She still likes him, that's 'why'," Ishida answered, trying but failing to hide his frustrations.

"But I thought the two of you were getting along," Ichigo said.

Ishida sighed again. "I thought so, too. But when the guy came back from Tokyo and asked her out for a drink two weeks ago, they both decided to give it a try again."

"And you're okay with that?"

"What can I do? I can't force her to go out with me when she doesn't even have feelings for me," Ishida said, pushing his glasses up again even though it hadn't slid any lower. "Whatever. I'm happy if she's happy. At least she's not with a douche bag like you."

Ichigo chuckled as he punched the other guy on the arm. It was Ishida's way of putting a stop to that topic that he didn't feel like talking about. The orange head decided to respect his wish in that and moved on to something else. "I wonder how the Kuchikis would react to see Rukia like that."

The small girl was now chasing Inoue around their sand art. Being the more athletic one, she managed to tackle the taller girl into the sand and started to scoop big handfuls of sand on Inoue. The latter was gasping for breath between screaming for help and laughing.

"Tsk..." Ishida smirked. "Obviously, they would think that you're a horrible influence on their noble heiress."

Ichigo rolled his eyes. He wouldn't have Rukia any other way. She's perfect just like that.

* * *

 **I'm at the hospital now, waiting for labour. Haha... Managed to get this chapter up. Getting really tired of waiting. Thanks for all the reviews, by the way!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Not to be used loosely**

 **Chapter 23**

 **A/N: I do not own Bleach and its characters.**

"Berry, have you seen my..." Rukia's steps halted at the open door of Ichigo's bathroom when she saw his tall stature leaning towards the mirror over the sink.

Ichigo also paused and looked at her reflection. When she didn't continue what she was saying, he let out a muffled: "What?"

The petite girlfriend smirked and walked slowly towards him, keeping their eye contact through the mirror. "Look at you, the little boy from the Kurosaki Clinic has finally hit puberty," she snickered.

Ichigo was just about to start shaving. He had shaving cream on the bottom part of his face, making him look like Santa Clause with orange hair. Raising a brow, he turned slightly to face Rukia herself, a mischievous glint in his amber orbs. "Want to know what else has hit puberty?"

Rukia rolled her eyes and placed her small hands on his bare abs to shove him backwards until the back of his knees hit the toilet bowl. She reached around him to pull the cover down and made him sit on it.

"What the hell are you doing, Midget? I could've cut both of us," Ichigo chided.

"It's a razor, Ichigo. Not Zangetsu," she countered, straddling him on his lap as she took the blade from him.

"Wha-?" Ichigo started to protest, his arm automatically wrapped around her hips to keep her from falling backwards.

Rukia snickered again and placed a finger on his lips, shushing him before she held his creamed chin. "I've always wanted to do this," she mumbled and with the grace of the wielder of the most beautiful _zanpakutou_ , she started removing his barely-there stubble with the razor.

Ichigo had to hold back a retort by pursing his lips. He might have had suffered serious near-death injuries in his soul form but he doubted his human body had a high threshold for pain. His eyes locked on the face of the Kuchiki princess on his lap, fully focused on her current job. She looked so adorable with that tiny frown and the subconscious slight gaping of her mouth.

After two long strokes, Rukia reached for the towel on the sink and removed the blade from Ichigo's face to wipe the foam off. The orange-haired _shinigami_ took that opportunity to kiss her on the lips but she turned her face away with a yelp. Ichigo chuckled and tried again. This time he managed to smear a bit of shaving cream on her cheek.

"Ichigo!" she shrieked. "I will cut you!"

Chuckling harder, Ichigo went in for another attempt to smear more cream on Rukia's face while she lifted the razor above her head so she wouldn't cause any injuries. The towel that she had used to wipe the blade was discarded back into the sink, the razor soon followed after as she tried to escape the substitute's restrain on her. Their little morning fun was interrupted when Rukia's _denreishinki_ went off in her room. The two paused their struggles to listen to the high-pitched tone as if to confirm that it really was ringing before Ichigo tightened his hold around her to continue teasing her.

"Let me go, Berry!" she cried, slamming her fists on his shoulders.

Ichigo let out a playful evil laugh and carried the girl who was still straddling him to his bedroom where she had left her phone earlier.

As soon as she was let down – not quite gently – onto the bedroom floor, Rukia punched Ichigo in the gut, causing him to double over and gasp in pain.

" _Hai_ ," she answered the device without so much as a look of concern at her injured boyfriend. She did, however, roll her eyes when she heard a 'bitch' coming from him.

After a few more _hai_ , she hung up and turned around to where Ichigo was seated cross-legged on the carpeted floor. He was seething quietly and glaring at her.

Rukia simply grinned and skipped towards the bathroom. "Sentarou- _san_ said Ukitake- _taichou_ is opening the _senkaimon_ at 4.30 this evening. Get your ass ready, idiot. We don't want to keep _Nii-sama_ and the elders waiting," she said before shutting the door behind her.

"Use your own damn bathroom, Kuchiki!" Ichigo yelled after her, struggling to get up. "Damn midget can still pack a mean punch after all these years," he mumbled.

"Can I borrow your towel?" she asked from within the bathroom a minute later.

"No!" he shouted his reply.

There was a giggle before she said in her annoying schoolgirl voice, "Thanks, Kurosaki- _kun_!"

Despite himself, Ichigo smirked at their exchange. They were about to head to Soul Society for the _yuinou_ ceremony. Byakuya had been busy with the preparation for the past two weeks. He took it upon himself to make all the arrangements necessary for the big day. Rukia was quite disappointed that she didn't get a say in any of it but Ichigo – who was exceedingly pleased he didn't have to decide for or do anything on his part – assured her that it was better for her brother to handle stuff like that. The Kuchiki head was more well-versed at how to appease the expectations of the elders, anyway.

Byakuya had assigned Ukitake to open the _senkaimon_ for them and the humans to travel to Soul Society while he stayed in the manor to make a final run through with the preparations. The 13th Division _taichou_ was more than happy to oblige. He'd always had a soft spot for the substitute _shinigami_. Needless to say, he was also among the first people who were most excited about the forthcoming union of the pair.

Of course, the other thing that fueled Ukitake's anticipation of this big day was knowing that it was the first of many events that would lead to his good friend, Isshin's return to Soul Society for good. The two of them used to enjoy a game of Go over black tea on Sundays. After Isshin disappeared into the real world, Ukitake would play with Kyouraku, and occasionally, the _soutaichou_ if the latter could forego his afternoon nap. However, the former always ended up drunk in the middle of a game and passed out before his _fukutaichou_ came to drag him out of the 13th Division barrack, all the while grumbling about a useless, perverted captain.

Ichigo recalled that long chat he had with Ukitake last week when he dropped by at Urahara _shoten_ to pass him some soul tickets for his sisters. Both Kurosaki girls had had their _reiatsu_ awoken after the war with Aizen; with Karin's much stronger than Yuzu's. But they still couldn't control the energy, which was not enough for them to enter Soul Society, anyway. They still had a long way to go. While Karin was eager to train three times weekly to heighten hers, Yuzu was not too keen on being "superhuman" – as she had called it – yet. A smack upside his head interrupted Ichigo's train of thoughts. He looked up to see Rukia, wrapped in his towel, smirking at him.

He scowled. "I said you couldn't use my towel, Midget."

Rukia huffed, pouted, and then looked down at the towel on her. Ichigo's face reddened a little at where her view was. "Fine," she grunted and did the last thing he thought she would do.

It took the orange-head a few quickened heartbeats and a furiously heated face before he managed to roar, "Rukia!" But it was too late. The petite figure had slammed his bedroom door behind her, giggling away to her room and leaving him the image of her butt-naked retrieving body and a wet towel in his lap.

* * *

Father and son sat across from each other at the dining table, holding a stare down contest. They had been at it since the older man had arrived at the Kurosaki Clinic ten minutes ago. Eyes narrowed, lips pursed, shoulders tensed, fist clenched and unclenched. Both might not look exactly alike but their wary mien was proof that the same blood ran within their veins.

Being the more mature of the two, the father was about to speak up but his son – always the condescending one – beat him to it.

"What are you doing here, _Your Majesty_?" Isshin sneered at his father's title.

Shiba Katsuo shook his head with a 'you haven't changed' look. "Just dropping by to see my son."

Isshin's haughtiness faltered a bit. But remembering how their affectionate relationship had crumbled when his father took up the throne and turned into a cold being, the scowl immediately returned to his face.

"Whatever the hell for?" he asked, bitterly.

Katsuo arched a brow as he tilted his head. "Is that the way humans talk to their parents who visit them?"

Isshin clenched his fists in annoyance as he shot his father a hard glare. He had told himself countless times that he would need to be prepared mentally before facing the Soul King again. He never expected them to meet so soon. "Of course, not. I'm not human. Neither are you," he replied, gritting his teeth.

The King smirked. If not for his facial expressions, his demeanour would've been a precise match for that of Kuchiki Byakuya's – all high and mighty. The thought of the Sixth Division captain reminded Isshin that he was to be at Soul Society soon. The _yuinou_ will be held this evening at the Kuchiki Manor. But how could he leave now that this stick-up-the-ass father of his was here in his house in the living world with a suppressed _reiatsu_ which would otherwise blow up the whole round earth?

"So you admit that you're not human. Why, then, have you been living under that illusion?" Katsuo taunted, snapping Isshin back to their conversation.

Isshin simply crossed his arms like the stubborn child that he had always been, grinding his teeth as he continued to glare at his father's human form at the dining table. Slightly wavy, dark hair that reached the shoulders. Coffee-coloured sinister eyes. Thin, condescending lips. Broad shoulders. Tall. _Illusion, pfft!_ Isshin thought. _More like Aizen than Byakuya._ He decided to ignore the question. "What is the real purpose of your visit, Shiba- _sama_?" he asked again. "I have an important appointment to attend in a while. You picked the wrong time to visit. I don't have the time for this."

For a moment, there was a flash of dejection across Katsuo's face at the way his son addressed him. But he quickly brought the smirk back. "Why are you in such a hurry to chase me out? You still have two hours to go before Urahara opens the _senkaimon_ for us. And furthermore, I haven't even met my grandchildren yet. They are on the way back from shopping, I presume?"

Isshin was baffled. Sure, his father was practically a god. But that didn't give him the right to pry so much into his life. "First of all, I don't even want you to meet my children if I can help it. Second, I don't appreciate you putting your nose into my business. And third, why are you leaving through the _senkaimon_? Nimaiya- _sama_ won't open the _chokaimon_ for you to go back to the palace?" he asked sarcastically.

He wasn't very keen on travelling with his father. Furthermore, Katsuo dropping by Soul Society only meant he would be attending the _yuinou_ as well and Isshin didn't know how he felt about it. His children had not met their grandfather yet. He hadn't planned on introducing them in a place or time where so many outsiders would be around. Heck, he hadn't even had their first meeting planned at all.

The king's expression softened. "Isshin, I brought you a gift. I wanted to surprise you when you move back to the palace in two years but since Ichigo is getting engaged today…" he trailed off as he nodded at the direction of the stairs where light footsteps descended behind his son.

Isshin knitted his brows, still keeping his guard up as he turned around. His eyes widened immediately at the person standing before him.

* * *

"How did Urahara know to call us?" Ichigo asked, taking quick glances at his sisters through the rearview mirror.

Karin shrugged but her eyes were narrowed when she said, "I thought you saw us there because you just happened to be around the corner."

"No," her brother countered. "The _getaboshi_ called and told us that your car was stolen and that you needed a lift back home from the mall."

"What?" Karin shrieked. Yuzu immediately brought her hands up to cover her own ears. "I bet he's behind all these. Remind me to kick his ass when we return from Soul Society."

Ichigo heaved a long sigh, as he turned into the driveway of the Kurosaki Clinic. He wouldn't mind kicking Urahara's ass himself but it would definitely be more hilarious to watch the perverted shopkeeper getting owned by his little sister.

He and Rukia thought they could relax in front of the television before they were expected at the _shoten_. He was just about to put his feet up on the coffee table, his little girlfriend all snuggled up next to him, when he received a call from Urahara. The exiled _shinigami_ had told him where his sisters were and that their car had been taken from the parking lot at the mall. Without even asking how Urahara knew about it, Ichigo and Rukia had bolted out of the house to look for the twins.

"Yup," Rukia said, tapping away on her phone on the passenger seat next to Ichigo, causing the three Kurosakis to turn to look at her. " _Otou-san'_ s car is at the _shoten_. Urahara got Jinta to do it." She had just gotten the culprit to admit it to her through a text message. Rukia was always good at things like that. But then again, maybe Urahara just loved to rile people up that way.

Ichigo grumbled, throwing Yuzu a glare over his shoulder as he got out of his car, "That bastard boyfriend of yours."

Yuzu sank deeper into her seat before she opened her door and stepped out, followed by her sister.

Karin placed an arm around her shoulders as they walked up to their main door. "Come on, Yu. Don't worry too much. I'll only deal with that redhead when we get back," she snickered causing her sister to pout with a worried look.

Ichigo stopped in front of the door and turned towards his sisters who were behind him. "If I find out that the old man has anything to do with this, I'm going to send him to Hueco Mundo. We're going to be late for the _yuinou_ ," he said.

Rukia slapped him upside the head. "Just get inside. We still have a couple more hours to go. What kind of person would get someone to steal their own car and leave their daughters stranded at a shopping mall?"

"Have you met my father, Rukia?" Ichigo glared down at her before turning the key, mentally vowing to punch his father unconscious if he had anything to do with the stupid theft.

Upon entering the Kurosaki home, however, the four stood dumbfounded at the scene before them.

* * *

Pulling her into his embrace – so, so gently and so, so afraid that she wasn't real or that she would somehow dissolve into thin air and he would lose her again, he buried his face into those golden brown locks that he missed so much and whispered, "Masaki..."

* * *

 **Can't say I'm proud about this chapter. I must confess: I knew where I wanted this to go but I didn't know how to write it. However, the deadline I set for myself was 15 August. So I rushed this whole thing up and here it is, on 14 August. Haha…**

 **So the BLEACH manga is finishing soon. There's this bitter sweet feeling about it. It's like a 15-year-old relationship coming to an end. You know it's going to happen. You're upset about parting your ways but you're also glad that you had some really good memories together. Once it's over, I'm going to watch the anime right from the start again. And then, read all near-700 chapters of it... and all the IchiRuki fanfic ever written. Lol!**

 **Still hoping for a good IchiRuki ending. BLEACH started off IchiRuki, so it should end with IchiRuki. I figured there'll be something like, "It's not taichou. It's Kuchiki Rukia." Yeah…**

 **For those of you who have not read** ** _Loosely's_** **side fic that covers what happened with Ishida and Inoue, please hop over to A New Beginning.**


	24. Chapter 24

**Not to be used loosely**

 **Chapter 24**

 **A/N: I do not own Bleach and its characters.**

 _Upon entering the Kurosaki home, however, the four stood dumbfounded at the scene before them._

 _"Masaki..."_

" _Kaa-san_ ," Ichigo muttered in disbelieve. His feet were rooted to the floor of the living room as he stared at the woman he hadn't seen in 20 years. She still looked exactly the same as how she was before she…

" _Kaa-chan_!" the twins practically screamed, breaking Ichigo's train of thoughts as they rushed towards their mother and ambushed her with a hug.

There were tears and giggles and warm words of assurance that Kurosaki Masaki was "back for good and I'm not going to leave my babies anymore. It's so wonderful to finally be with all of you again."

But even as Ichigo was watching all these happening before him, he was still stunned that his mother was standing right there in the living room of his old home, in the flesh. It was only when he felt a hard slap on his back that he was jolted out of his state of astonishment. He looked over his shoulder to shoot a half-hearted glare at his soon-to-be fiancée and hissed, "What?"

"Go to her, idiot!" she whispered. She had been trying to push him forward for a good five minutes now but his feet seemed to have been permanently glued to the ground. She didn't want to – especially not in front of his mother – but she had to resort to hitting him to get him to move.

When he looked back at the Kurosaki women, Masaki was smiling gently back at him and had her arms opened for him. Seconds later, for the first time in 20 years, Kurosaki Ichigo felt like a little boy again when his mother held him in her embrace as his father and sisters watched with joy.

Rukia, too, had a wide grin on her face. She knew how important this beautiful lady was to the Kurosaki family. She was the golden sun they revolved around. Losing her was the worst time of their life. Not knowing what to do and feeling rather awkward intruding on their reunion, Rukia was about to back out of the living room into the kitchen when...

"So this is the third daughter you've been boasting about to the captains?" Masaki guessed as she flashed Rukia a knowing but eerily familiar smirk. It was kind of weird to recognise that as something that she almost always saw plastered on Karin's face.

Isshin burst out laughing – the presence of his own father absolutely forgotten as the twin girls snickered beside their mother. Ichigo returned to his dumbfounded girlfriend's side and took her hand, leading her towards his mother to introduce them to each other.

Stopping a couple of steps before the woman, Rukia took a deep bow and addressed her with respect, "Masaki- _san_."

There was a pregnant silence as the petite girl slowly straightened herself back up to face her boyfriend's mother properly. Upclose, the woman was not just beautiful, Rukia noticed. She also had a rather charming and engaging elegance. She seemed to fit the role of a noble even more than the Kuchiki heiress did.

Kurosaki Masaki's smirk gradually turned into a smile before a playful glint danced within her brown eyes. Rukia gnawed at her bottom lip nervously as she blinked twice in confusion. _What is on this woman's mind?_

Before she knew it, she was tugged into a bone-crushing hug while the rest of the party laughed at her high-pitched surprised yelp.

"Why does he get an ' _Otou-san_ ' when I am only 'Masaki' to you?"

Rukia stuttered unintelligibly before she sighed and hugged the woman back. She had always known the Kurosaki family for their eccentrics. What she didn't know was that their mother was just as crazy as the whole circus. _Well, at least I can still be myself around them with nothing to hide._

* * *

Isshin was pleasantly relieved that Shiba Katsuo had disappeared and left his little family to their reunion with Masaki when the kids arrived at the clinic. The future Soul King was a bit worried that the children would not have the time to adjust to their mother's return before being surprised with the visit from their grandfather.

Masaki told them that the initial plan was to meet them at the Kuchiki Manor during the _yuinou_ because she wasn't sure if her _reiatsu_ would be stable enough to enter the Living World. But Kurotsuchi Mayuri had assured her and the King that Urahara would be able to provide her a _gigai_ that could temporarily suppress her _reiatsu_ for up to six hours.

The soul of the former _echt_ Quincy was found loitering at the market place of the Fifth District of Rukongai two years ago by one of the professors of Shinō Academy. He had noticed that her _reiatsu_ reverberated differently from that of a normal soul that had passed over from the world of the living.

It was only a year and a half later that her information was discovered by Ichibe Hyosube, the leader of the Zero Division, as he was going through the logistics of the souls in Soul Society. He thought the signature of her spiritual pressure was rather... exceptional; so he had sent one of his guards to get a sample of it discreetly. The report came back showing that there was a hint of Shiba Isshin's _reiatsu_ in hers.

Ichibe brought the matter up to the King himself, who immediately summoned for Kurosaki Masaki to see him. As her spiritual pressure was not stable, she had to put on a _reiatsu_ modulator so that the pressure at the Reiokyu would not choke her to death.

 _"I can see that you still hold in you, my son's_ reiatsu _," Shiba Katsuo said as he studied the woman in the white_ kosode _and red_ hakama _._

 _He would recognise the energy that was emanating from her anywhere. It wasn't as strong and eloquent as its original vessel, but it was distinct, nonetheless. This was the same energy that he used to come home to and find comfort in after a long, stressful day of handling his late father's affairs. It was the same one that he had missed after it disappeared into the world of the living. This woman, it would seem, was where that energy had gone to._

 _Masaki bent her body in a low bow. "Forgive your humble servant,_ Kokuo Heika _. I do not wish to offend the King. However, I do not understand how it is possible for me to possess the_ reiatsu _of the Prince."_

 _"You will understand once we have recovered your memories from when you were alive, my child."_

For the next two weeks, Kurotsuchi Mayuri was tasked to conduct a memory restoration therapy on her every day after her classes at the academy was over. Needless to say, the eccentric _taichou_ of the 12th Division was delighted to put everything else on hold to perform little experiments on the side upon this Hollow-possessed former pure blood Quincy who had experienced high exposure to Shinigami energy when she was alive. He was hoping the data he generated would help him develop something that was similar to the _hogyoku_. Not that the King would allow him to use any of that information for his own purpose...

On the last day of the therapy, Masaki woke up in tears when she finally remembered who she was and everything that she had gone through when she was alive. She desperately wanted to see her family again and with that desire, she stuttered her way to make her request known to the King when she was summoned for the second time to the palace.

 _Katsuo chuckled softly as he watched the quivering woman in a gold_ yukata _. "Masaki," he approached her, clasping his hands on her shoulders. "I am trying to get Isshin to come back to the palace to take over my throne. In the meantime, you need to train some more to stabilise your_ reiatsu _until such time when even your sub-conscience can control it. I have always wanted both of you and the kids to move here. So don't worry, you will be reunited with them as soon as you are strong enough. We cannot risk losing you again in the event that you cannot adjust to the changes with the pressure."_

 _"_ Arigatou _,_ Kokuo Heika _," she said, bowing in respect to the man before her, whom she had just found was her father-in-law._

 _"_ Otou-sama _."_

 _Masaki's mouth could only manage a gape at her attempt to address the King in such a familial way._

 _"At least call me 'Shiba-_ sama' _if you're not comfortable with calling me 'father'," he offered, placing a hand on the woman's head._

 _Wiping off the remaining tears from her cheeks, she flashed him a nervous smile and dipped her head one more time. "I'm honoured to be given the privilege to do so, Shiba-_ sama _," she said._

The months that followed saw her dropping by the Reiokyu every once in a while to have tea with her father-in-law. He would constantly update her on whatever he knew or was nosy enough to find out about her earthly family. She would alternate between addressing him as 'Shiba- _sama_ ' or ' _Otou-sama_ '. Most of the time, she didn't feel she was worthy enough to regard him as such. He was the Soul King, for _Kami_ 's sake!

Outside of classes with the academy and her visits at the palace, she would train extra hard, going into _jinzen_ to get to know her _zanpakutou_ because she knew that the spirit of her sword was the one who would be able to help her with the control of her _reiatsu_. She was right. It took her less than three months to achieve what she had been trying to break through in the past 18 months.

She could not deny, however, that it was that one meeting with the King that had accelerated the process – the one where he had shown her the scroll containing Isshin's message, agreeing to take his father's place within the next two years.

 _The future_ shinigami _gasped upon reading the contents, her face turned back to the King for confirmation. "_ Tou-sama _..."_

 _Katsuo nodded with a smile. "Less than two years from now. Most probably much earlier. I'm sure you'll be more than ready by then."_

 _The student returned the smile, eyes brimming with happy tears._

 _It had been too long._

* * *

"So you're saying that Shunsui, Juushirou, and Yama- _jii_ knew all along?" Isshin guessed, narrowing his eyes at his wife.

They were both seated on the couch, her – with her spine pressed firmly on the back of the seat with an elbow on the armrest and him – inclined forward, elbows on his knees as he looked back at her. The kids were upstairs, getting ready to go to the _shoten_ before heading off to Soul Society for the _yuinou_ later.

Masaki smirked, twirling a loose strand of her wavy hair by the ear around her index finger. " _Tou-sama_ was the one who told them. They would've found out sooner or later, anyway. They are also visiting lecturers of the academy, you know?"

"And they didn't think to let me know. Some friends, I have," Isshin grumbled, trying not to flinch at the way she addressed her father. _Were they buddies now?_

The brown-haired woman laughed out loud as she reached one hand to the nape of her husband's neck, putting gentle pressure on his skin with the tip of her fingers – a little gesture she remembered that would relax him after a long day at work. "I wanted to surprise you."

He huffed, trying but failing to sound annoyed. There was no way he could hide how happy he was that she was back. Turning his body to face her fully, he placed his hands on either side of her hips, caging her in. "We've got…" he paused to look over his shoulder at the big clock above the TV. "30 minutes before we leave for the _shoten_."

Snickering again, Masaki let her other hand join the one that was still around Isshin's neck, pulling him towards her for a quick kiss on the lips. "You're still as cute as ever, pervert. But whatever you have in mind will have to wait. We've got kids in the house."

"That never stopped us before," he remarked, nuzzling her jaw.

"Kids who are wiser and more knowledgeable, and…" Masaki wrinkled her face at where her thoughts were headed.

Isshin brought his head up to give her an assuring gaze. "I assure you, our kids are still very innocent."

"I don't think innocent kids are spawned from a man like you," she said, pinching his nose.

Swatting her hand from his face, he raised an accusative brow at her. "Throw in the genes from a woman like you and we've got a recipe for disaster," he countered, diving back into her neck to continue his ministration.

She was quick enough to stop him by pushing his shoulders before he could do so. "All the more reason to _not_ do whatever you have in mind. I'm in a _gigai_ , Isshin. And you know how Kisuke always has something up his sleeves when he personalises one of these."

The Soul Prince groaned in irritation as he touched his forehead to hers. "I've waited 20 years for this, Masaki."

"You waited? Did you know I would be able to come back?"

He chuckled. "Okay, I can't say I was waiting because honestly, I thought I had lost you forever. But I did miss you a lot. And I told myself I would go back to Soul Society to try my luck at searching for you in the Rukongai when the twins are older and more independent."

"Thank you," she said, cradling the side of his face with her palm. "For taking care of them. It must've been hard for you to raise three small children on your own."

Isshin leaned into her touch, tilting his face to peck the inside of her wrist. "Nah... It wasn't _that_ difficult, considering I had a mini Masaki, a moody punk, and a boy who is forever pubescent, for kids."

Masaki grinned at the thought of their children being described that way. She had yet to find out how true it all was. "I suppose it's a good thing that Rukia- _chan_ is around, then? She seemed like someone who could keep that pubescent son of yours in line."

"You have no idea," Isshin sighed, taking his hand from between her hip and the armrest to run his fingers through his short black hair as he began to slowly remove himself from practically being above his wife. "She's also a big sister to the girls."

"Eww... Get a room, you guys!"

The couple snapped their attention to the stairs where their twin daughters were – Karin, scowling with her arms crossed while Yuzu had both her hands slapped over her eyes. Both parents let out a cackle as Isshin snaked an arm around Masaki's waist to pull her closer to him. "Get over your virgin eyes. We're not doing anything," he clarified.

"What did we miss?" Ichigo asked, appearing with Rukia behind the twins.

Yuzu shook her head vigorously as she looked back up at him. Karin mumbled something incoherent to him but Ichigo got the message when he realised their parents were sitting hip-to-hip together on the couch. His mother's hand was on his old man's thigh. Next to him, Rukia snickered behind the back of her hand at the reaction of the children.

"What are you laughing at, Midget?" he muttered, pressing a hand on his girlfriend's head to turn it to face him.

The short _fukutaichou_ kicked his shin with her little foot, glaring down at him as he bent over to nurse his sore spot. "Don't call me that, Strawberry."

Masaki burst out laughing at the scene before her. "That's what I used to do to you every time you were being stupid, remember?" She nudged her elbow in Isshin's side.

The man nodded with a silly grin on his face.

Ichigo scoffed, "Isn't he perpetually stupid?"

Karin chuckled in agreement.

" _Onii-chan_!" Yuzu reproved before descending the rest of the stairs as the others followed.

"Don't be rude, Ichigo," Masaki chided. "You don't get to call your father 'stupid'."

Rukia slapped him upside the head easily as she was a couple of steps higher behind him.

The orange-haired student doctor glanced at his evil sister for support again but he only got a playful glare before she said with a smirk, "Yeah, Ichi- _nii_. You've got to learn to show some respect for old people." Trust Karin to completely double-cross him any time. Wasn't she the only one laughing earlier?

Rolling his eyes, he tugged Karin's dark ponytail – a little harder on purpose as he fished out his phone from with his free hand. "I'm going to call the _getaboshi_ for your car. There's no way all of us would fit into mine."

"Oh, you don't have to do that, Ichigo," Masaki said, pulling her husband up with her as she got off the couch and began to shut all the windows in the house. "I'm sure it's already outside."

Ichigo furrowed his brows, his phone still in his hand as he watched his mother carry out those things she would always do when they were kids before they left the house. "How would you know?"

The woman shrugged. "Because I told him to return the car around this time," she replied, briefly motioning her free hand towards the clock.

Ichigo and the twins gaped at their mother. Isshin smirked as he shook his head, certain that his wife was the one behind the entire car-theft ploy. Contrary to what their children thought of her, she had always been the mischievous one between the two of them.

Rukia smiled, impressed at this woman she had just came to know of. She had a feeling she would get along very well with Masaki- _san_ – or _Okaa-san_ , as she had insisted. The Kurosakis were definitely an awesomely amusing household to marry into.

* * *

 **Something light for all. Would seriously like to forget about the depressing ending of the** ** _manga_** **, though.**

 **Thanks for all your reviews and I apologise for the wait. Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!**

 **Oh, for those who have not read these, here are some side fics to** ** _Loosely:_**

 ** _A new beginning_** **(IshiHime)**

 ** _Giving us a shot_** **(RenTatsu)**

 ** _Solar eclipse_** **(IchiRuki but Byakuya-centric)**

 **And if you have the time, check out my post-686 fics as well.**


	25. Chapter 25

**Not to be used loosely**

 **Chapter 25**

 **A/N: I do not own Bleach and its characters.**

It was kind of nostalgic when Isshin drove the family car to the _shoten_. No, not the drive to the _shoten_. But the family in the car, albeit short of screaming kids including a bright-haired boy; and especially with his wife sitting on the passenger side next to him. Karin and Yuzu were enjoying the nice quiet ride and for the first time, truly appreciating the existence of both parents in their lives.

Until their father spoke up, "What happened to the old man?"

There was a hint of annoyance with some rare, genuine panic in his voice, the twins noted and curiously wondered which old man he was talking about.

Their mother snickered. "He should be at the _shoten_ by now."

"What other things are you cooking up with him?" Isshin asked accusatively.

Boy, the girls needed to get used to their father's new set of vocal patterns. He was usually the crazy goon who was never serious for two seconds. They couldn't remember their parents' interaction before Masaki passed away. They were only toddlers, then. Now, their mother seemed to be the one with the playful edge.

"Nothing else, Shinigami boy. He'll meet us at Urahara's and then, we will all travel together to the Seireitei," Masaki explained.

Karin was just about to ask whom the old man was – for the third time – when Isshin said, "So he is going to run through the _dangai_ with us? Somehow, I find it hard to believe that the Soul King would perform ordinary terrestrial tasks like that."

The girls gasped, "The Soul King?"

"Of course, not!" And there was that melodious but ragging laugh again, their daughters' astonished reaction ignored. "He has prepared soul tickets for all the humans. We could all just walk through the gate together."

Isshin grunted. "He could've at least told me earlier so I could prepare the kids beforehand."

The girls were just looking back and forth between their parents from the backseat, wide-eyed as they guessed that they were about to meet the Soul King. It didn't even matter that he was their grandfather. They were about to meet the King that governed the souls in all three worlds! He's practically god.

" _Kami-sama_... We're going to travel with the Soul King," Karin muttered.

Isshin raised a brow as he took a quick glance in the rearview mirror at his dark-haired daughter. "Do _not_ call him ' _Kami-sama_ ' when you see him. He does not need a boost of ego like that."

Masaki snorted. "Anyway, they will have to meet him sooner or later. What is there to prepare the kids for?"

"What do we call him, _Okaa-chan_?" Yuzu asked, feeling the anxiety creeping in as they neared the _shoten_.

"' _Ojii-sama_ ', I suppose. I started off by addressing him as ' _Kokuo Heika_ ' but he insisted that I called him ' _Otou_ - _sama_ '. Takes a bit of getting used to," Masaki replied.

Karin was already texting Rukia with the warning. They were less than five minutes from the _shoten_ and she felt that her brother, who was driving his car behind them with Rukia, should at least know what to expect when they arrived at the candy shop. Things were going to get interesting. She didn't know how to feel about it.

* * *

Rukia took out her phone when she felt it vibrate against her backside in her jeans pocket, alerting her to a message that had just come in. "It's from Karin," she told the orange-haired man driving on her right as she slid the screen to unlock.

Ichigo took a quick glance at her and asked, "Did she forget something? Do I need to turn back?"

The petite _shinigami_ remained silent, perusing the text over and over again. She wanted to read it out loud but she wasn't sure if what was displayed on her phone was real.

Ichigo was getting annoyed as he pulled up outside Urahara's _shoten_. They were getting engaged at 6.30 pm and even though that's two hours away, he didn't want to waste any more time going back to the clinic to get something that's not important. Rukia still had to put on her complicated engagement _kimono_ and dolling her up would take some time.

"What is it, Rukia?" he asked again, snapping her out of her stupor. He could see his parents and sisters getting out of their car and entering the _shoten_.

"Ichigo..."

The man let out an impatient growl before snatching the phone from Rukia's hand. His eyes bucked at what he read…

 _From: Kurosaki Karin_

Ojii-sama _is waiting for us at Urahara's._

* * *

4.34pm…

They should be going on their way to Soul Society. But the day was full of surprises. Ichigo wondered if they were supposed to be expecting more after this one. Hopefully, not. He didn't think his heart could handle any more of these. But then again, a pre-mature death would mean an immediate permanent residency at Soul Society and an earlier promotion as a full-fledged Shinigami, so it's not really such a bad idea.

Right now, though, he and his siblings _and_ his fiancée-in-two-hours were sitting on the _tatami_ floor of Urahara's living room, completely awestruck as they watched their father interact with the Soul King before their very eyes. The Soul King, literally in the flesh! Faux flesh, but who's anatomising? They're having tea with the Soul King!

Apparently, Mum was the one most at home with Grandpa. Favouring daughters-in-law over their sons must be a trait that ran in the Shiba blood. _Am I going to be like that, too?_

"The boy is a photocopy of your younger self, Isshin," Katsuo commented, regarding Ichigo with a smirk.

Karin snorted, eliciting a nudge in the ribs by Yuzu who bit her lips to keep from snickering. Rukia hid her smile behind her slender fingers as she braced herself for Ichigo's reaction, knowing all too well that it _would_ be an over-reaction since he hated being associated to his father in any way. Most of the time, that is. Rukia also knew the orange-haired man, in truth, had a certain amount of respect and honour for the eccentric head of the family but he would never admit that.

Masaki, the comfortable one in the group, couldn't be bothered about keeping her amusement to herself. She outwardly laughed at both Isshin and Ichigo who had an identical scowl on their faces.

Ichigo looked like he wanted to retort but was afraid that it would be disrespectful to the King. He ended up looking rather constipated.

"Oh please, I did not have such ridiculous hair colour," Isshin protested, earning a glare from his insulted son.

"But the unruly hair and that juvenile facial expression are definitely cast in the same mould," the King pointed out.

Isshin scoffed, "Different side of the same coin, perhaps. He got the ugly side."

"Have you seen your face in the mirror, old man?" Ichigo finally snapped, waving a fist at his father and forgetting about his grandfather's presence altogether.

The women gave in to their snickering, with an extra to the chorus by Yoruichi who just entered the room. Urahara covered the lower part of his face with his faithful fan.

"What did I say about speaking to your father with respect, Ichigo?" Masaki chastised, a stern tone masking her teasing voice.

But Katsuo shook his head. "It's all right, Masaki. This only shows how much alike the father and son are."

"I'm sorry but I have to interrupt this interesting family reunion," Yoruichi said. "We need to get going before Byakuya- _bo_ starts panicking and rains down flowers over all of us. He is not informed of Your Majesty's visit to the living world."

Urahara nodded with a smirk. "Yes, _minna-san_. Please proceed to the gateway. His Majesty will have to keep his _gigai_ on until he crosses over the _senkaimon_. It's a bit too soon to suffocate the earth off its atmosphere, no?"

"I can always repair that with a snap of my fingers, Urahara- _san_ ," the King replied.

Isshin rolled his eyes. "Let's just go before the old man gets too full of himself," he grumbled, stepping away from the group.

"Fuck," Karin whispered to her siblings. "Goat-chin is really like Ichi- _nii_ when he is around _Ojii-san_." She instantly warranted for herself a tug at her ponytail from her brother and another sharp elbow in her ribs by her sister. But the worst was yet to come.

"Language, young lady," Masaki reproved, pinching the dark-haired twin's ear as she walked beside her.

"I'm sorry," Karin pouted. And for the first time, there was a look of mortification on the usually smug face.

With a smile, Rukia walked up to the other side of the elder twin and wrapped an arm around the latter's waist – she couldn't slump it over her shoulder like she used to when the girls were much younger. They were much taller than the _chibi_ reaper now. "Here's a new side of you I've never seen before," she whispered – and she had to tiptoe a little.

"The only two people I could ever lose to – you and Mum," Karin harrumphed, prompting a soft giggle from the woman she looked up to as a sister, friend, and mentor.

The orange-haired substitute Shinigami watched from behind as the four women in his life crossed over the gate to the other world where his second home would soon be.

* * *

Kurosaki Ichigo knew that the Kuchiki Manor was huge but he had never expected its grand hall to be able to house so many people. There were at least 250 in attendance including the Shiba and Kuchiki clans, some Shinigami from the Gotei 13, and a few humans from the living world.

The _yuinou_ ceremony was a very short one. It began with the exchanging of gifts wrapped in rice-paper envelopes between the two clans. After that, Ichigo presented Rukia with the engagement ring, which used to belong to his mother. Both Isshin and Masaki watched this part of the event with pride and honour.

When the ceremony was over, everyone adjourned to the Takizakura Hall for a sit-down 10-per-table dinner prepared by the best Kuchiki _itamae_. It was a rather rigid one as the guests were all assigned to their tables according to a seating arrangement by Kuchiki Byakuya himself. There were also short opening speeches by him and Isshin where they thanked their guests for being a part of the grand celebration and formally acknowledged the union between the Shiba clan and the Kuchiki clan. As expected, Isshin made a few remarks that embarrassed his son, so much so that Rukia had to practically pin Ichigo down in his chair before he could attack his father and further made a fool of himself and their clans.

After the traditional multi-course dinner, most of the guests (especially the distant family members of both clans) left the manor with well-wishes for Ichigo and Rukia. The ones who remained were close friends of the officially-engaged couple. Byakuya invited them to the Japanese garden behind the banquet hall. In no time at all, they had moved into their own cliques, carefully scattered all over the vast acreage of green grass, _sakura_ trees, water features, and teahouses.

Isshin and Masaki were seated at the main table during the dinner with the Soul King, Byakuya, the leader of the Royal Guard – Ichibe Hyosube, Byakuya's aunt – Kuchiki Ayumi, the Kurosaki twins, and the couple of the day. They hadn't had the chance to socialise much with their friends as they had to entertain relatives and clan members whom they hardly saw. So at the garden, the Soul Prince brought Masaki to the teahouse to formally introduce her to his former comrades. Present there were Ukitake Juushirou, Kyouraku Shunsui and Ise Nanao, Unohana Retsu, Kenpachi Zaraki and Kusajishi Yachiru beside Urahara and Yoruichi. With the cat lady there, Sui-Feng and Shiba Kuukaku also came in to join the group. Much to Isshin's chagrin, everyone teased him for being the last to know of his wife's return.

Isshin had invited Ishida Ryuuken for old time's sake; more so because he was Masaki's cousin than anything else. The former Quincy wasn't very keen at first but he had gone anyway because of Masaki... who was once his fiancée. There was a little tension between the two men but it was quickly resolved when Masaki reminded them about whom she had married.

Instead of joining the after-party at the garden of the Kuchiki head, Shiba Katsuo had invited Yamamoto- _soutaichou_ to his palace for a game of _shogi_. The five members of the Zero Division who had attended the wedding also decided to return with the Soul King.

Most of the Visored wanted to stay back to hang out but a slap up each of their heads with Sarugaki Hiyori's slipper was all it took for them to go back to the world of the living. Otoribashi Rose and Aikawa Love had wanted to have a couple of drinks with their Shinigami comrades. Yadomaru Lisa thought she should spend a bit of time with Ise Nanao.

But the captains Hirako Shinji and Muguruma Kensei agreed that it was better for those Visored who were stationed in Karakura to go back to the world of the living in case a Hollow showed up. Currently, all the real world Shinigami were in Soul Society, leaving Karakura a very vulnerable and defenceless town without anyone to protect it. The only ones who didn't really mind going back were Ushoda Hachigen and Kuna Mashiro.

Sitting around Byakuya's _koi_ pond was a mixed group of humans and soul reapers. The humans had arrived an hour before the ceremony together with Urahara where they were briefly introduced to Masaki and the Soul King. Recognising Arisawa Tatsuki, the brown-haired mother enveloped Ichigo's childhood friend in a tight hug.

Currently, Abarai Renji had his arm around his _kendoka_ girlfriend as they shared a quiet conversation despite how brash the two of them usually were. It was definitely a sight to see that these two people had managed to tone each other down by a huge degree.

A few yards away from the couple, a rowdy bunch of idiots were talking out loud, seemingly _at_ rather than _to_ one another. Ichigo shook his head as he watched his cousin Shiba Ganju rise to his feet in a defensive stance while trying to prove his point to Asano Keigo and Hanakari Jinta, before Kuukaku appeared out of nowhere to kick him in the arse. It was a good thing Bonnie the wild boar was not allowed to enter the Kuchiki property. That would have been chaotic.

Yuzu, Tsumugiya Ururu, and Yamada Hanataro looked on in mild amusement at the crazy things that were happening before them. They were the only noiseless ones in the group. Well, them and Kojima Mizuiro, who didn't exactly count. It wouldn't have made a difference whether he was there or not. The dark-haired playboy was texting away on his phone, completely undeterred by Keigo who kept bumping into him whenever he gestured with his arms like a drowning person. Ichigo did not want to know how there was any reception in Soul Society. Something told him that his former classmate had gotten Jinta to help him secure some kind of connection between the two worlds. Mizuiro could never keep away from his phone for a long time, anyway.

Across the pond from Renji and Tatsuki, Ichigo's non-Shinigami comrades of war huddled together in their own sub-clique. Ishida Uryuu and Inoue Orihime looked like they were having a very pleasant conversation, judging from the smile on their faces. Obviously, something had happened recently between them. Ichigo made a mental note to tease his cousin about it one of these days. Of course, beside them was the best third wheel anyone could ask for – Yasutora Sado. All he did was observe his friends in silence, chuckling softly every once in a while and contributing one or two words where necessary. _I must hang out with the big guy soon. It's been a while,_ Ichigo thought.

Out in the open field where Byakuya used to train his meditative martial arts, Ichigo could barely make out the ' _izakaya_ gang'. They were a different sort of rowdiness. Most of them were laughing like hyenas, probably drunk from the _sake_ Matsumoto had stolen from the cellar she found while sneaking around the Kuchiki mansion.

For some reason, Ayasegawa Yumichika was repeatedly hitting the heads of Madarame Ikkaku and Hisagi Shuuhei – most probably reprimanding them for doing something 'ugly'. This whole racket was witnessed by Hinamori Momo, who was seated between the legs of – well, here's a shocker – Kira Izuru. Ichigo didn't even know there was something going on between those two. He only knew them as Renji's classmates from the academy.

Kotsubaki Sentarou was engaged in an argument with Kotetsu Kiyone – over what, Ichigo couldn't guess. But the two third-seated officers of the 13th Division were also somehow laughing at the trio in between their bickering. Beside Kiyone, her sister Isane sat silently with her back ramrod-straight as she sipped her drink and tried to ignore a red-faced Iba Tetsuzaemon who seemed to be trying to pick her up by showing off his biceps. That one definitely had had one too many drinks. Somebody needed to stop Matsumoto from supplying them those booze that didn't even belong to her.

And that somebody – Ichigo glared in distaste – was none other than her own _taichou_ , Hitsugaya Toushiro. However, the _chibi_ captain was currently busy making out with Karin on a bench next to the garden's water feature. They probably thought no one could see them.

The newly-engaged man was about to make his way towards the couple when a small hand held tightly onto his arm stopped him. Glancing down at his beautiful fiancée, Ichigo narrowed his eyes at her.

"Don't do it, Idiot. Let them be for today. You don't want to make a scene," Rukia warned.

"They are already doing that for themselves," Ichigo muttered. "And besides, Toushiro needs to keep his _fukutaichou_ on a leash. She's causing a riot."

Rukia crossed her arms over her chest. "She's not. It's just that group over there that's drinking and they are not making any trouble for other people. If they were, _Nii-sama_ would've thrown them out."

Ichigo scoffed, "That's because he is not even aware of what's going on, Midget. You see, he's kind of busy, himself." Grabbing Rukia's shoulders, he steered her to face where her brother was.

She gasped as her eyes widened in shock. Right there, under his favourite _sakura_ tree, stood Kuchiki Byakuya who was apparently enjoying – in his own stoic way – a conversation with the busty Matsumoto Rangiku. The strawberry blonde was obviously flirting with the stiff host. And he was letting her do that, their shoulders brushing every time she swayed seductively.

" _Kami_..." Rukia gasped, her hand rising to her face to slowly cover her mouth. She didn't know what to think.

Ichigo smirked. "So which one do we want to save first? Your brother or my sister? I vote Karin. She's still a child."

"Karin is not a child anymore, Ichigo. You have to learn to give her more credit than that and stop being an arse of a brother. Your dad has accepted Hitsugaya- _taichou_ ," she replied before turning back to regard the interaction between her brother and Matsumoto.

"Right. So I assume you're okay with that as well?" Ichigo tipped his head at the Kuchiki leader.

A small smile graced Rukia's face. "You know what?" she began, slowly tearing her gaze away from the two people talking under that _sakura_ tree. "I think it's time my brother moved on to find his own happiness."

Ichigo raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "You're saying you don't mind if Byakuya and Matsumoto get together?"

Rukia's smile broadened as she turned around to fully face her new fiancé. Placing her palms flat on his _kimono_ -clad chest, she shrugged. "As long as _Nii-sama_ is happy, why not?" she asked, tilting her head and raising herself on the ball her feet in her clogged slippers at the same time to reduce the height difference between Ichigo and herself. "Why should we be bothered about the love-lives of our siblings when we have ours to... explore?"

The Shiba heir couldn't help the grin that was tugging at the corner of his lips. He closed the small distance between them while pulling her body closer to his by taking hold of her slender waist with both hands. "And how do we do that, my Moon Queen?" he breathed, leaning in to brush his lips against hers, all the while keeping his amber eyes on her enthralling sapphire ones.

Rukia hummed, seizing his bottom lip between her teeth and eliciting something between a moan and a gasp from the man. "I was hoping you'd have some ideas, my Sun King," she murmured.

"I guess I do have a few," he replied as he pecked the corner of her mouth before locking their lips in an affectionate kiss. Feeling Rukia's smile against his, Ichigo was taken back to the first time he came to Soul Society all those years ago. He gently pulled apart from her, keeping his smile so she would keep hers as well for him to behold as his most precious treasure.

 _I remember now..._

 _The reason I wanted to save you..._

\- THE END -

* * *

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